Jason and I are reading a book on marriage together in the evening after the kids go to their rooms for the night. We read the first few chapters. Then came the chapter on the husband and what he should and shouldn’t be doing. Neither one of us said anything. We just read.
Then came the chapter on the wife. I knew I’d take a beating. He didn’t say anything, just read. We got through the part on respect. The silence was killing me. I know I need to be more respectful of my husband. I took a deep breath and asked, “So how do you think I’m not being respectful.” Then I thought better of that and quickly added, “Just give me one!” If he really let me have it that might not be too helpful, but I could start with one. Jason leaned back and thought for a long time. I gave him the time getting more and more worried by the second. Was I THAT bad? Finally, I could take it no longer, “Well?”
“I can’t think of anything,” he replied.
How sweet is that! I love this about my husband. He keeps no record of wrongs. There are plenty of times that I am not respectful like I should be, but he really could not think of one example. He does get annoyed or irritated with me at times, but even later in the day he won’t even remember it happened. Me? I remember everything and in great detail–though I’m often accused of embellishment. Ha ha!
And so by his example he still gave me a way that I can be more respectful of him, beginning in my thoughts, by not rehearsing that record of wrongs.
(By the way, if you’re new here, every post about my husband is shared with his blessing!)
Most women tend to remember everything and struggle with not holding on to perceived wrongs. I remember a cartoon in a book I read on marriage. The couple were before a marriage counselor and the woman is saying something like, “You won’t believe what he said to me in June of 1965.” I’m not sure of the exact date, but it was a very long time before.