One Thing to Grow Your Marriage Each DaySample

Don’t waste your time together by neglecting to do this

Devotional Content: 

When you and your spouse spend time together daily, what is the most important component of your interaction? Is it talking or listening? I believe listening is essential to making the most of your time together. Here’s an example: If Nancy finishes talking to me and I bring up something that is important to me instead of responding to her, she will think I did not listen to anything she said. If that happens, it defeats the whole purpose of our time together. Setting aside time to connect and then not listening to your spouse will do just the opposite of what you wanted. 

Research shows that humans can listen five times faster than they can talk. If Nancy is talking to me, I have to decide how I am going to use that extra time. If I use it to think about what I want to say when she finishes or something else I want to go do, there is no way that I will connect with her. If I focus on her, make eye contact, and listen to every word she says, she will feel valued and cared for and we will connect and grow our marriage. The bonus is that if I listen well to her, she then listens well to me. She wins, I win, and our marriage wins!

Today’s One Thing: When your spouse is talking to you today, really listen.