Harmony At Home

harmony - Harmony at Home

All of you be of one mind . . . be tenderhearted, be courteous. 1 Peter 3:8

Harmony attracts, just as conflict repels. Create a harmonious home, and marriage partners will want to be there. Create a harmonious family, and children—even teenagers—will want to be there.

My (David’s) workaholic tendencies have often caused conflict between Teresa and me. After a decade or so of marriage, we noticed a connection between the harmony we enjoyed at home and the number of hours I worked. We found that the more marital harmony we had, the less I worked late. I found myself wanting to hurry home.

The journey from conflict to harmony has been a long one for us. Teresa saw my workaholic tendencies as my making a priority of my plans, my goals, my dreams, and my agenda. But all the while the Spirit was working through my striving to challenge me to actually do as Philippians 2:3 told me: Think more highly of another [Teresa, Terri, Robin, Eric] than I do of myself.

Teresa had her challenges also. Rather than saying angry things such as, “You’ve worked late every night this week and I’m sick of it,” she embraced the Spirit’s work of tenderheartedness and began to embrace the instructions in Ephesians 4:15 to speak the truth in love. Instead of harsh attacks, I heard her tender words: “You’ve been working hard this week, but I’ve really missed you. Could we plan some time just for us?”

God was powerfully working to bring harmony to our home.

Harmony comes from an atmosphere where husbands and wives can safely share their feelings with one another. Harmony is related to the connectedness we feel as we learn to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).

When that happens, the husband and wife have become one flesh.

How do you believe God would have you bring more harmony to your marriage and family today?