Being heard and understood by your spouse has to be one of the most comforting feelings. When you know someone is truly listening and not trying to think of what they want to say next. When you know that you can share what’s really going on and the other person will think about it instead of jump into defensive mode. Everyone wants that kind of love, but how often do we give it? We have struggled to be good listeners over the years, we haven’t always been this intentional and we still mess up in this area almost daily. The goal isn’t perfection, the goal is to be teachable - the ability to admit when you are wrong and to be able to listen when you’ve hurt your spouse (even if it’s unintentional). So many people feel isolated in their relationship because they feel like they can’t be honest, they don’t feel like they can really talk to their spouse or that they truly have a heart to understand or see their point of view. If you want your spouse to be a better listener, the best thing you can do is practice being a better listener. Many of us want a certain dynamic in our marriages but are we willing to practice what we preach? Are we willing to listen - to truly hear what they are saying, not what we think they are going to say? The art of giving your spouse the benefit of the doubt is such a necessity practice and one that is hard to master when the tendency to get defensive takes over. Here is a list of leading questions that can help get the conversation going if you both have felt distant or haven’t felt like you’re on the same page. - Is there anything that has been weighing you down lately? - Is there anything that you feel scared to talk to me about because you are worried I’ll get defensive? - How can we communicate about (sensitive topic) in a way that feels less argumentative? - Is there a time of day or environment that would be better for us to discuss this? 🤎 Take turns talking and don’t interrupt until the other person has expressed everything they need to. #healthymarriage #healthycommunication #healthyrelationships #marriageadvice #christianmarriage #godlymarriage #marriageworks #beating50percent #marriagetok