You get up to go into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Your spouse asks. “When you come back would you bring that small container of ice cream?” Inside your head (maybe outside of your head too) you say, “What am I, your slave?” We have all thought it and most of us…
Details
As we have looked at the faces of commitment in our last three times, we have examined the importance of following through on the things that we say we will do, remembering the big picture during times of conflict, and how we treat our mate when he or she is not present. In this final…
Details
As we have looked at commitment in our last two times, we have examined the importance of following through on the things that we say we will do and remembering the big picture during times of conflict. Today I want to look at how we treat our mate when he or she is not present.…
Details
Last time we began to explore commitment and what that might look like. In defining commitment we saw that it is both a dedication to someone but it also restricts our freedom. While restricting our freedom may at first seem like a negative, it really isn’t. I used the example of marrying my wife. When…
Details
So, I wonder – how would you define commitment? If you ask five different people their definition of commitment, you are likely to get five different answers. For example, when I examined one source, it gave two somewhat opposite definitions. On one hand it stated that it is a state of being dedicated. Well, that…
DetailsYour husband comes home angry and yells at you. Your wife makes condescending remarks to you in front of the kids. Your spouse says hurtful things to you that don’t seem fair or accurate. How do you respond? Perhaps, in your woundedness, you lash back – speaking harshly of them in front of others or…
DetailsDivorce can be such a disaster (most of the time it is). I know there are certainly occasions when it is unavoidable, but that is not the norm. And when children are involved, indications are that, for the most part. Everybody loses! I recently had a mother of two young children say to me –…
Details
I remember when this phrase was all the rage as part of an advertising campaign for “The National Enquirer Magazine.” And I can’t help but remember that phrase when I think about healthy relationships. You see, one of the hallmarks of healthy marriages is having an inquisitive mind when it comes to your mate. Whether…
DetailsHave you ever caught your child red-handed, getting into the cookies when they were told not to because dinner would be ready in 20 minutes? As you stand there in anger and disbelief, you are befuddled by what you are seeing. But even as you see it happening, your kid tries to deny the crime.…
DetailsHow frequently do you make a reference to something that you have told your spouse previously, only to have them respond that they don’t know what you are talking about? If that happens too often, you may find yourself wanting to pull your hair out. You are convinced that he or she doesn’t listen which,…
Details