A Soft Answer Turns Away Anger.

I Wrote This Book [ Desperate Marriages] Because Of My Own Marriage. My Wife And I Struggled Greatly In The Early Years Of Marriage. In Spite Of The Fact That We Were Christians Before We Got Married, We Prayed About Getting Married, We Believed It Was God's Will For Us To Get Married, And We Still Had Great Struggles.

I Think The Tingles Are Important. They Are Real, And I Am In Favor Of Their Survival. But They Are Not The Basis For A Satisfactory Marriage. I Am Not Suggesting That On Should Marry Without The Tingles. Those Warm, Excited Feelings, The Chill Bumps, That Sense Of Acceptance, The Excitement Of The Touch That Make Up The Tingles Serve As The Cherry On Top Of The Sundae. But You Cannot Have A Sundae With Only The Cherry.

Conflicts Are Not A Sign You've Married The Wrong Person. They Simply Affirm You Are Human.

Sometimes When The Spouse Is Really The Culprit, It Is Hard To Admit What You Consider Your Little Failures, But If You Are Going To Have A Better Relationship, You Admitting Your Part In The Dynamics Is A Step In The Road To Healing. Because If They See You Modeling Apology, For Example, And They See You Modeling Love, They May Well Get The Idea That Maybe They Need To Apologize.

Empathetic Listening Is An Awesome Medication For The Hurting Heart.