As Ruthann8 pointed out, sometimes it is not so much a male/female thing in the way we respond to events as a personality issue. It can happen between you and your spouse, differing personalities affect the way you view a situation and how you react. What is important when this is the case is accepting and supporting each other, even if you don’t understand why they react as they do.
Mick admitted recently the way I reacted to a situation and what I wanted to do about it, was not the way he would have handled it. But because he knew it was important to me he was happy to go along and support me in that decision. In effect what he was saying was ‘I don’t understand where you coming from or why you need to do it, but I will back you all the way.’
Suppose your spouse wanted to give up work and retrain for another career, how would you react? Would you support them in their decision?
Recently in a couple of marriages I know, this has happened. In one situation it was the husband who has quit work to retrain for another career. In the second it was the wife quit work primarily for health reasons but also to retrain. In each case the situation and the implications for the family was discussed at length before the decision was made, because obviously this is in both cases going to have a financial impact on the family.
What is obvious though, is that neither this man nor woman embarking on retraining will get far without the encouragement, emotional and practical support, and love of their spouse. It is that which will help keep them going when things get tough and they are under stress to get assignments and extra work done, or to spend long hours away from family writing essays and making sure their work is completed for their university courses.
There will be times when each of them will find it hard, and be discouraged. At such times to love and support of their respective spouse is critical. It’s like this verse says, ‘Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion,’ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. Nowhere is this more true and necessary than in the marriage relationship.
Bible verse is from the New American Standard Version
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