Doghouse

The north wind brings forth rain,And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.It is better to dwell in the corner of a housetop,Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

Proverbs 25:23-24 (NKJV)

Brrr! Like a cold wind and rain, both of these things make us shudder. Backbiting should be absolutely outlawed for us as godly women. We should not speak it or even listen to it. This kind of war of words is bad business, and it will show up as mud on everyone’s face.

The second half of our proverb is also a stiff warning. “It is better to dwell in the corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” A contentious woman is just plain trouble, trouble, trouble. She’s hard to live with, so she drives people away. Men are often in the doghouse with their wives, and in some cases, I think they’d rather live in one than with a woman who is always picking on them. Because, as my grandma used to say, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”—because she’s gonna make sure nobody’s happy. As most men know, “Unhappy wife, unhappy life.”

So, ladies, let’s be sweet. Being hard to live with doesn’t solve any of the issues you’re stewing about. Here is your antidote for the day: “Therefore, as the elect of God . . . put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another; . . . even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Colossians 3:12, NKJV).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Dear sisters, when we emotionally put someone (our husbands for example) in the doghouse, we have banned him from our affections. Smiles and affection are replaced by frowns and coldness. We dole out little crumbs of kindness instead of being good-natured and generous. If we are not careful, what begins as an emotion develops a habit and can become our personality. Love turns the tide. Love is not just a feeling; love is first a decision, which we must then put into action. As Mitch Temple says, “The grass is greenest where you water it.”

One Year Bible Reading

Jeremiah 33:1–34:22; 1 Timothy 4:1-16; Psalm 89:1-13; Proverbs 25:23-24