My wife and I seem to enjoy exercises of will. Of course, it's always her fault, because she won't listen to reason ... always trying to be right--having to be right.
The above paragraph is such a HUGE target, it seems unfair to hold it up. Yet, isn't that "logic" exactly the stinking attitude that initiates and perpetuates arguments? Seems to me, the only way to encounter another's bullheadedness is to lower ones own horns, and charge.
Am I saying one should placate the other, taking on the intellectual role of a soft pillow? If we prioritize our communications according to the spirit of 1 Corinthians 13, such arbitrary accommodation will not be necessary, or even desirable. Few issues are worth an argument, especially in a relationship that is defined by love. And even outside of a spousal or other familial relationship, arguing almost never resolves a dispute.
Here's a strategy with which I must experiment: When disagreement begins, I must quietly ask, "Is this issue important enough to argue about? Or can we just agree to disagree right now, before blood is drawn?" That way, nobody is challenged to admit they're wrong; no ruffling another's feathers or eating ones pride(such a bitter meal).
Conventional wisdom says pride is a good thing. But if it's that good, why does it taste so rotten?
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