Quotes about Understanding

The mark of a spiritual man or woman is a listening heart, not a lecturing tongue.

Good spiritual directors understand that people have different spiritual temperaments, that what feeds one doesn't feed all. Giving the same spiritual prescription to every struggling Christian is no less irresponsible than a doctor prescribing penicillin to every patient.

You don't marry a position. You marry a person.

Let us become intentional to use personal slights, inconveniences, acts of gossip and slander, times of difficulty, and even sickness as opportunities to grow in patience and understanding and humility instead of bitterly resenting each one.

Understanding the truth is the doorway to new life. And understanding the truth often requires the use of labels. Honoring someone, whether that person is a boss, parent, or spouse, doesn't mean we have to pretend they're something they're not. Honoring and honesty can exist side by side.

Wisdom says we should try to make a relationship work not because we have strong feelings but because it's a good match.

What if I ran all my actions through this grid: "If my son-in-law treated my daughter the way I'm treating my wife, how would I feel?" Men, that's the way what you're doing looks like to God. Women, just switch the genders. Imagine hearing your (perhaps future) daughter-in-law talking to her friends about your son with the same tone and words you use to describe your husband: How does that feel?

Humility is about the little things in life, and marriage is 90 percent small stuff. We don't build humility on giant gestures as much as forge it with consistent, thoughtful actions day after day.

Start these conversations with questions that seek understanding, not with accusations that seek submission.

Infatuation fills your eyes with what you're getting, but let the Bible fill your mind with what you're committing to give.

The assumption is that loving their husbands is an unnatural skill that wives must learn — better yet, we could describe it as a supernatural skill.

I think we need the same attitude with our marriage. All of us experience certain things about our spouses that may be difficult for us to accept.