Willing to Listen

I’ve been sick this past week, and haven’t been the most patient - the most selfless - wife.  I knew that I was struggling, and I was trying to deal with it.  Of course, it’s not the easiest thing when you want to be selfish, and must discipline yourself not to be.  It can take me awhile to get myself steered in the correct direction.  When I finally had, I told my husband that we needed to talk.

One of the things that I had planned to do was to ask forgiveness, but I also wanted to let my husband know about something that had been bothering me.  With him going to school, I have the main income burden, and it has started to wear a little harder on me lately.  We only have one semester left once we finish this one (a month away!), so it makes sense to continue, but I needed to let him know that I might need some extra encouragement and grace.

When I have something to tell him, I always appreciate that he is willing to listen.  No matter how hard it may be to hear, he wants to hear my thoughts and feelings and to take them into consideration.  That consideration may be a correction of my selfishness, etc., but he strives to do it out of his love for me, and as his role as my shepherd - my leader.  

We don’t always get it right, and we don’t always communicate clearly to one another, but when our hearts are in the right place, it goes a very long way, and not only fosters our unity, but creates a safety net out of that unity.  Our marriage is a safe place to talk.  God designed marriage as a life-long commitment for a reason, and I praise Him and thank Him for that wisdom.

Are you willing to listen?