Skip to main content

Drippy Harps, part one

Are you a drip? Do you harp a lot? I heard this rotten joke recently: "My wife is a perfect angel; she's always up in the air harping on something." Yikes! Is this me? Is this you?

When we allow ourselves to become casual in our relationships with our husbands, we can easily slip into the role of the "drippy harp:" a contentious woman who nags and criticizes while convincing herself that she's just being honest and helpful. Deliver me from such help! We would never want to be treated in the way that we mistreat our spouses!

We'll examine this one over several segments, but here's the first one:

1. If you won't let a matter drop, you're a drip.
"A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike." (Prov. 27:15)
You may not realize it, but your repeated "suggestions" translate into "criticims" over time. Bringing an issue to someone's attention once is reasonable; twice is reminding; three times and beyond is full-tilt nagging. You may think that you're being helpful, but if you turned it around and put yourself on the receiving end of your repeated statements, you may be able to hear it differently.

When we've asked our men to do (or not to do) something, they heard us the first time. If we bring it up again, it's certain that they heard. If we try a third time...drip, drip, drip: we've become contentious. A contentious woman is trying to win, even though she often loses. So what's a woman to do?

Pray for wisdom, choose your words carefully, speak them lovingly at the right time and then wait patiently. And dump your expectations for a perfect resolution, because those are fairy tale thoughts invading your good sense. After a period of quiet and prayerful waiting, the answer may not be the solution you had in mind, because God sees differently than we see. God can see the whole picture; we only see our part.

Don't be a drip. Instead of bringing up the same matter over and over again, take it to the Lord. He doesn't mind how often you repeat yourself!

If this website has been a blessing to you, please visit the Shop page and consider buying a book or CD set. We appreciate your support of Keep the Heart!
www.keeptheheart.com 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Grudge is a Ball and Chain

Francie's definition of a "grudge": Allowing moldy old offenses to torment us while hoping that the offender will be tormented at least twice as much by our cold-shoulder payback. Reality: When we hold a grudge, the other person sleeps well and we don't. Nobody has to drag these resentments around like a ball and chain. How can we unlock the shackles? 1. Forgive... You knew this one: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you..." (Matt. 6:14) Forgiveness is defined as follows: "The pardon of an offender, by which he is considered and treated as not guilty. The forgiveness of enemies is a Christian duty." (Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary) When we forgive, we have agreed to call the offender "not guilty" anymore. It's the same thing that Christ did for us, only He did it a lot faster. 2. ...Or else! "...But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Fa

Moving is Not for Whiners

When I woke up for the first time in my new town, I said to myself, "Where am I?" Now mind you, this is not really a new thought for me, as I often wake up in conference hotels and wonder which state I'm in (other than the state of confusion). But now, I was really wondering about this strange bedroom with the lovely little armchair next to the closet. I didn't recognize a thing in the room, and that's when I remembered... ...I've moved. February 2018 My new hometown doesn't feel at all like home, but I will give it time. It took months of prayer for the Lord to lead me to even consider moving, which eventually led to a position as editor for the Joyful Life Sunday school curriculum at Abeka Books in Pensacola, Florida. Decision day was January 31, 2018. And then a whirlwind. And then a huge moving truck. And then I boarded a flight because in the process of planning this move, I had forgotten all about

Habits that Keep You Broke

Do you suffer from "too much month at the end of the money?" Being broke is often a result of habits that are kept like house pets. Working so hard and having no money in the wallet is self-inflicted bondage. How does this keep happening? You've done the Dave Ramsey School of Stop That. You receive notifications from your bank when your account balance is low. You know how to do basic math such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. So what keeps happening to your funds? You're subtracting faster than you're adding, multiplying debt and dividing your brain into stress-filled compartments that alternate between "Things are fine" and "This is such a mess." Is this right? No. Then what is it? Sin. Financial irresponsibility is sin. Is that the sound of your mind shutting down? Well, before you go, remember that the definition of sin is basically this: you know the right thing to do, but you're continuing to do the wr