WHOLESOME COMMUNICATON - A Key to a Good Marriage

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.  (Ecclesiastes3:1, 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 frame 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, on of them might be inclined to say, "Something has been bothering me, and we are going to get it straightened out right 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?

Next time: How to Promote Wholesome Communication

Watchtower, 2000