Home Sweet Home: Devotions from Time of Graceنموونە

Home sweet home

Home sweet home? Alas, not always. You’d like to think that your home would be a steady refuge from conflict in the business world, but sometimes it’s the reverse--the bitterest quarrels and deepest pain arise between people who on other occasions say that they love each other.

How can that be? Well, remember that sinful parents give birth to sinful children, who are little ego-monsters by nature. They don’t need to go to school or summer camp to learn how to argue and talk back. Remember that a marriage joins two sinners together and inevitably our inborn and ingrown selfishness sprouts.

What to do? Train yourself to listen for the signs of temper, emotion, fatigue, and miscommunication. Respect what out-of-control mouths can do to destroy a relationship. “Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out” (Proverbs 17:14).

It’s not necessary for you to show that you’re right all the time. You can yield gracefully if you choose. You can manage your brain and mouth to show that healing is more important in your home than being right.