Some qualities have a positive as well as a negative side to them. Stubbornness is one of those. The person who is stubbornly set in their ways and so rigid in their thinking that they never listen to anyone else, or consider the needs of others is hard to deal with and hard to live with. I’m inclined to think we all have a little stubbornness in our make up but it is hard to maintain a relationship with a severely stubborn person.
However the areas where we need to be stubborn in our marriage is in our commitment to marriage, in maintaining our relationship with each other and not being influenced by others around us. It means not being influenced by TV and movies and maybe even people who know who seem to value marriage lightly, people who would rather give up and move onto a new relationship rather than work on what they have.
It takes a certain stubbornness of character to be different, to stand out from current trends, whether that means staying true in your marriage to one person or standing out from others by choosing to be a stay at home wife and mother.
And it’s not just women who find it hard. A young man I know said recently that he feels he and his wife are looked down on and frowned upon by others because they have chosen for her to remain at home and not work. In their opinion that was best for them and their family, but it takes a certain stubbornness not to be swayed by those who think differently or who think money and a double income and a job that requires long hours is the only option.
This same man has chosen to give up a higher paying job so that he can work in a job which will allow him more time with his wife and young family. To my mind it’s an admirable decision and one that wasn’t made lightly. But it’s one that requires a certain stubbornness of commitmentt as many simply don’t understand and condemn these choices.
Related blogs