Kindness in marriage

I was reading today that one of the greatest attributes of a good marriage is kindness.

And....one of the most destructive aspects of marriage is contempt.

The article states that the number one factor that tears couples apart is contempt.

The constant drip of criticism and fault finding.

In fact (and I quote), "people who are focused on criticizing their partners miss a whopping 50 percent of positive things their partners are doing and they see negativity when it is not there."

And here is what I didn't know (and I quote again):  "People who give their partner the cold shoulder, or ignore them, or respond minimally to their spouse not only kill the love in that relationship but they also kill their partner's ability to fight off viruses and cancers."

In other words, being mean to your spouse is the death knell of relationships.

Now on to something more positive.

Kindness does just the opposite.

Kindness makes each spouse feel cared for, understood and validated.

Loved.

And what is really interesting is that the more kindness we experience from our spouse, the more likely we are to show kindness in return.

So, if you want your spouse to be kinder to you - be kind to them.

After all, Paul writes that (I Corinthians 13:4) love is kind.

So, I encourage you today to show kindness to your spouse in 3 different ways - and maybe, just maybe you might find yourself closer to them than ever before.

Just a thought for a Wednesday