For Thought and Meditation - Monday, April, 26

[Pine Baron]

Good morning all. Another message that speaks directly at me (and you). Have a safe and blessed day.

Monday, April 26, 2021- -Pastor Greg Laurie

Be Quick to Forgive

“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
—Ephesians 4:32

When I meet young couples who want to get married, I’ll ask them a few questions, including how long they’ve known each other. Then I’ll ask them whether they’ve ever had an argument.

Some of them say they’ve never disagreed about anything.

When that happens, I tell them to get out of my office and go have a good fight. I’m not referring to anything physical, of course. But what I am saying is they need to learn how to disagree, because you have to learn how to resolve conflict when you’re married.

You’ll have points of view that are different from those of your spouse, so it’s very important to listen to what he or she is saying. Hear the other person out and then respond with your point of view. Have a good exchange. But when the voices start rising and the tempers start flaring, it will be completely unproductive.

Cliff Barrows, who was a longtime associate of Billy Graham, said there are eight words you should be willing to say every day to your spouse: “I’m sorry,” “Please forgive me,” and “I love you.”

I would add these words as well: “It was my fault.”

Sometimes even the way we apologize isn’t really an apology at all. For instance, we might say, “I’m sorry if you thought I was saying that, because that was not my intention. So if what I said hurt your feelings, it’s because you misunderstood me.”

Here’s an actual apology: “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

When you and your spouse have a conflict, who will be the first to resolve it? Whatever tension the two of you are experiencing, if you would simply say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you,” you would be amazed at how much good that will do.

[Wayne Smith]

I would emphasize that listening carefully to the other is critical. LOML and I had a 'fight' perhaps two years into our marriage. We would fight about cleaning the apartment - and when I cleaned I moved furniture and cleaned under it and scrubbed so you could eat off the floor. She wanted things picked up. I listened to her and myself and told her "Honey, you want things picked up and I want things scrubbed - If you do what's important to you and I do what's important to me it all gets done. Lets stop blaming each other for not doing what is important to me". 45 years later I still scrub and she still picks up and we get along. If I hadn't listened to both of us we might still be fighting about it.

[USMC87]

Amen, A great lesson!