Proverbs 18:21 ”Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”

The Big Idea: Timing is everything! Waiting until the right time to air grievances is crucial for healthy relationships.

If you’ve been married for any length of time, you know it’s not easy. Having a harmonious marriage is hard work, but well worth the effort. It requires time, patience and a lot of God’s help.

There are times when we can be susceptible to misunderstandings in our relationships, and one of those times is right after church. We’re on such a spiritual high, so to speak, and feel we can conquer the world. That is, until our spouse says that little something that irritates us. Could it be Satan is trying to steal the word from our hearts?

In 2 Samuel 6, King David moved the ark of God to Jerusalem, and probably felt the presence of God more than ever before. He danced before the Lord with all his might. His wife, Michal, watched from a window and his method of worship, let’s just say, was not well received.

2 Samuel 6:20 says David was on his way home to bless his household when Michal came out to meet him. She didn’t even wait until he got in the house. She highly criticized David for what he had done. David dug back at Michal with his own harsh words. How easy it is to get distracted from a great spiritual moment with an argument!

We can only speculate what would have happened if Michal had waited until she wasn’t upset to talk to David so they could have communicated heart to heart.

Let’s get in the habit of blessing our spouses with words of encouragement and wait until the right time to discuss issues we struggle with.

The Action Step:

Take time TODAY to speak encouraging words to your spouse. Try to share at least one thing about them that you appreciate, even if it just pertains to something today. Give them a sincere compliment or tell them something specific that you love about them. An additional idea might be to write the words down on a card and give it to them with their favorite treat. And for the bonus, be intentional and take time to tell someone else about the good things your spouse does as well!