Something New
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. (1 Peter 3:4 NIV)
At a recent meeting the wives were discussing how often we say unnecessary things to our husbands. It seems most of us feel compelled to tell them when they have “slipped up”. You know, things like: You forgot to get the milk. Why did you buy that color? When are you going to fix the curtain rod? You never remember anything I ask you to do. You always leave things till the last minute.
What would happen, we wondered, if we just didn't mention it? One woman who was very new to the group decided she this was an area she wanted to correct. Her gracious Heavenly Father gave her a chance to try it as soon as she got home from the meeting. As she put her key in the door the faint aroma of burnt food wafted toward her. Oh, no! she thought. My sauce! She had given her husband instructions to rescue the sauce she had left simmering on the stove. Images of her usual reaction to such an event flashed through her mind. But, she wanted to try something new.
In the kitchen she found her husband attempting to clean up the mess. She took a deep breath and greeted him warmly. She put her things away and returned to the kitchen to help him. His expression of horror slowly turned to relief as she scrubbed the pot and chatted about her meeting and his evening with their son.
They were together when they happily related this story to me. She reported that she had experienced a sense of joy for the rest of that evening. To my surprise, he reported that after the initial shock, his wife’s reaction actually strengthened him. I am not going to pretend that I understand that comment, but it seemed to hold all kinds of benefits for his wife that she could never have expected from her “usual reaction”. I could sense a new closeness between them.
Since our usual reactions don’t usually work, we might as well try something new.
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