Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:19

This is one of those verses that I’d love to have seared into my head. Why? Because it’s so practical and pertinent. When I get stressed I tend to have “an edge” to my tongue. My tongue gets sharper and I offend much more easily. The first person I take things out on is my wife. I’ve curbed that as much as possible but it still rears its nasty head when I get stressed.

The other thing about this verse is something I’ve noticed with guys in general. We tend to “compartmentalize,” which means we turn our emotions on and off rather quickly and leave our mates behind. If we are having a heated discussion with our spouses and then decide to get romantic, it doesn’t quite work for the women. In other words, if you tell your spouse you love her and the next ten minutes berate her for not doing something you thought she should, there is a disconnect between your “I love you” and your belittling her.

Bottom line: We need to keep our tongues in check around our wives.