Happily Ever After: Devotions from Time of GraceSample

When You’ve Been Married a While: Husbands, Pay Attention

Men and women certainly have different styles of communication. Millions of arguments and hard feelings have arisen when spouses misunderstood each other or missed important messages completely.

Women thrive on communication and use a wide variety of ways to send messages. Men miss about half of them because they generally aren’t looking, aren’t listening, and might not detect anything if they were.

The apostle Peter was a married man and knew exactly what he was writing about: “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7). Considerate means “Pay attention!” Literally the original Greek says, “Live with her according to knowledge.”

Good leaders adapt to their surroundings. Husbands, don’t insist that your wife adapt her communication style to you. Learn her language, verbal and nonverbal. There is a marvelous benefit in letting your wife train you in female communication. You will understand the other 50 percent of the human race a lot better. Pay attention!