Married Couples: Developing Healthy Spiritual HabitsSample

Spiritual Habit: Communication

“Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”—Proverbs 16:24 (NLT)

If you ask any married couple what the secret to a godly marriage is they would say without a doubt, “Good communication!” Unfortunately, this isn’t always demonstrated by most couples. Instead, all too often, ungodly words are spoken in times of heated communication that bring pain, hurt, and can’t be taken back or forgotten. Words are more painful and cut deeper than the sharpest knife. It takes many years to learn the skill of good communication, and just when you think you got it . . . BAM . . . you failed again!

Good communication isn’t easy. It can bring even the toughest person to the point of frustration and tears. The question is, “Why is good communication such a hard skill to achieve when it comes to marriage?” The answer is the flesh. We’re constantly wanting to please our fleshly desires instead of pleasing the Lord and our spouse. We have to have the last word or be right in those times when communication gets challenging and heated.

Today’s passage tells us, “Kind words are like honey-sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” This is the best marital advice every couple should hold close to their hearts and make their marital life verse.

Let’s think about this. At that moment when you’re about to step into the dark realm of speaking unkind, painful words to your beloved, you can easily speak words of honey. You can speak words of life that are so sweet to the soul it brings health to the body and healing to your marriage. Words like honey make the toughest conversations sweet and kind and can bring resolution to difficult problems. Imagine ending a conversation on a sweet note instead of the bitter root of unkindness. All you have to do is be the one to say something kind. Now that’s sweet!

Pause: Do you speak words of honey or words of unkindness when a conversation with your spouse gets heated?

Practice: What steps can you implement to say words like honey when communication gets heated?

Challenge: Have a conversation with your spouse about being better communicators and learning to speak kindly to each other.

Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for our marriage. We ask that You teach us how to be better, kinder, and godlier in our communication just as You demonstrate Your love for us. Teach us how to not act in our selfish flesh but be in the Spirit when heated arguments arise between us. Teach us how to speak life and be sweet to each other, so You can be glorified and honored through our marriage. We love You Lord and are thankful for Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.