Promise Keepers Canada’s Men of Integrity Devotional,
published by Christianity Today International.

Ask, “Is This Okay?”

Key Bible Verse: A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. (Proverbs 15:18, NIV)

Dig Deeper: Proverbs 15:1, 18, 23, 31

I used to stand in front of my closet and get mad at my wife because I knew when I finally came down the stairs she would find something wrong with what I was wearing. I would say, “Ready to go?” and she would find fault: “How old is that shirt?” “That tie is too wide.” “Those socks? Really?”

One day, instead of getting angry, I just gave up. I threw on what I thought was a reasonable outfit and trudged down the stairs.

Instead of saying, “Ready to go?” I said, “Is this okay?”

Strangely enough, on that particular day there were no wardrobe malfunctions. I had struck fashion gold and learned a new trick for maintaining marital accord.

The benefits of my new discovery are many. There’s never a fight about what I’m wearing. Less time digging in my closet. I look presentable.

Like so many great ideas for husbands, this one has several parallel applications. “Is this okay?” or “What do you think?” can be used when picking a restaurant, a movie, vacation destination, or any number of decisions that need to be made.

—Jay Payleitner in 52 Things Wives Need from Their Husbands

My Response: I will look for times I need to more consistently ask “Is this okay?” or “What do you think?”

Thought to Apply: What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.—Leo Tolstoy (Russian novelist)

Adapted from 52 Things Wives Need from Their Husbands (Harvest House, 2011)

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