How To Promote Wholesome Communication

How important it is to take time for loving, wholesome communication! Some spend so much time in front of the TV watching other people's lives that they have little time for their own. Hence, turning off the television set is often a necessary step toward wholesome communication.

Just as there is a right time to speak, however, there is a time to keep quiet. The wise man said: "For everything there is an appointed time...a time to keep quiet and a time to speak." Indeed, there are also proper words to say. "A word at its right time is O how good!" Notes a proverb. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7; Proverbs 15:23) So determine when it is the best time to make your point or to express your heart's concern. Ask yourself: 'Is my mate tired or in a relaxed and refreshed state of mind? Is the subject that I wish to broach potentially explosive? What did my spouse object to in my choice of words when we last spoke about this matter?'

It is good to remember that people react best when they can see how cooperating or complying with a request would benefit them. IF some stress has developed between mates, one of them might be inclined to say, 'Something has been bothering me, and we are going to get it straightened out now!" Of course, exact wording would depend on the circumstances, but it may be better to say something like this, "Dear, I have been thinking about the matter we discussed earlier and how things might be worked out." Which approach would your mate be more likely to appreciate?

Yes, how something is said is very important. The apostle Paul wrote: "Let your utterance be always with graciousness, seasoned with salt." (Colossians 4:6) Endeavor to be gracious in your tone of voice and choice of words. Bear in mind that "pleasant sayings are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."-Proverbs 16:24.

For some couples, working together on projects at home can provide a fine atmosphere for communication. Such cooperation can promote a sense of sharing while affording time for wholesome conversation. For other marriage mates, a quiet time alone together without trying to do some work is better and is more conducive to wholesome communication.

Much can often by learned by taking note of how compatible marriage mates communicate with each other. what has made them that way? Most likely, their harmony and the ease with which they communicate have resulted from personal effort, patience and loving consideration. They themselves apparently had a lot to learn, for good marriages do not happen automatically. How important it is, then, to consider your partner's viewpoint, to appreciate his or her needs, and to defuse potentially stressful situations with a discreet word. (Proverbs 16:23) OF you are married, then, work at being pleasant to live with and easy to apologize to. That will go a long way in making your marriage a good one.

Jehovah God wants people to enjoy happy lasting marriages. (Genesis 2:18, 21) But the key lies in the hands of those united in wedlock. It takes two loving people who really work together to unlock the door to a successful marriage by mastering the art of wholesome communication.

Next time: Philip A Zealous Evangelizer