Pro 21:9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
When I hear or read this verse, I get a mental picture....let's see if I can show it to you.
A certain man was married to a very agreeable woman. Or so he thought. As the months went by, and then the years, he began to see a very different side of her personality. He was a good provider, and they had a nice home. They were in possession of many of the things that said to the world, "We are well off. We are happy." But try as he might, he could not convince her that they were well off. And he could not get his hands around happy.
As time went by, he provided her with an even larger home. This one was palatial --- lots of room to spread out, sumptuous furnishings, and even a lovely rooftop garden, looking out over the nicest part of the city. She never seemed to be satisfied, though, and she never seemed to stop finding things to argue about. She picked and clamored and needled and scolded and yelled. She would become fretful if he voiced an opinion that didn't match with hers. Even their servants found her noisy arguing disagreeable, and the neighbors would shake their heads as the sounds of her voice found their way out the open window.
Many evenings he would slip out of the room and escape to one corner of the rooftop, as far from her clamoring as he could get. His mind would wander back to the times when she had seemed so contented, so agreeable, so fun-loving . . .
Poor fella. I think he was the one that Solomon was talking about here. Many, many years later, we women have James 1: 19 to turn to:
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.I found these in a devotional today and underlined them for my own consideration:
* Have patience with others
* Love more, without expecting anything in return
* Speak softly and gently
* Forgive, and turn the page.
I want to make certain that no one in my family starts looking for that quiet corner on the rooftop . . .
This has always been a very big issue for my husband and me. Not that either of us are the unhappy, argumentative spouse, but that we both agree not to be that person. I knew early on that my marriage would not last if I was a harpy wife. And I think RESPECT for your spouse is one of the most important things in a marriage. It's always embarrassing to hear another couple arguing with one of them berating the other about something. I love the "speak softly and gently" qoute. I don't always do that, but I try very hard. Thanks for a great post Snoodles!!
ReplyDeleteVery well put. I don't want my husband running and hiding from me. Although we haven't been married long, we certainly want to be together, and want to do things together. <3 my husband and want him to always <3 me!
ReplyDelete