Communication in Marriage

Thesis: Conflict often arises within marriage, but precautions can be made in order to ensure communication as well as mutual understanding and love.

This week's topics were that of communication and mutual problem solving, specifically within marriage. We watched a video that I found very interesting regarding conflict within marriage. The wife in the video had dreams of pursuing her love for horses. Their horse, Maddie, cost the couple $1,000 a month to take care of. The husband found that this was a waste of money, and his dream was to have a cabin far away. He felt as if he was sacrificing his dreams to pursue hers. There was a huge communication gap between the couple, despite their mutual love for one another. Together, they sat down to discuss the issue. They were both encouraged to listen, understand one another's point of view, and then tell the other that they were okay with pursuing their spouse's dreams. These simple changes were amazing in their conversation. They both felt free to pursue their dreams, but because of the understanding that came from their spouse, it was as if they didn't care about their own individual dreams anymore and would rather pursue a dream together as a couple.

It's true when we are told that marriage is selfless and to keep it going, a couple must be thinking of the other. Think about it. If two people are married, and each individual does all that they can to make the other happy, then both will be happy! On top of that, they will feel the true love that comes from service.

I have found that in my own marriage, it's important to focus on prevention of conflict in order to never get to the point where you have to resolve conflict. Ways of prevention include selflessness, small acts of service, listening to your spouse, and sacrifice. These are easier said than done, but have made my own marriage a very happy one. This idea of prevention allows for a deeper love in marriage as well as mutual understanding of one another. When my husband feels loved and taken care of, he is sure to make sure that I am taken care of, and this concept goes both ways.