Let’s be honest, marriage isn’t always easy.
Yes, there are days when you’re on the same page as your spouse, date nights that leave your heart full, and times of shared laughter that remind you why you love them. Though, we all know that marriage isn’t constantly full of fluffy emotions and overflowing affection.
And those times, the times when it seems like your spouse must be an alien from another planet, can all be summed up in two words: Marital. Conflict.
We have conflict in marriage because two different people from two different backgrounds are now trying to live as one. Disagreements, arguing, and frustration are bound to happen. So, how do we handle all of that and still maintain a healthy, happy relationship with our spouse?
We recently had the opportunity to chat with author and speaker, Jennifer Rothschild, during an exclusive audio interview inside Kirk Cameron’s The Campfire. Jennifer is passionate about pointing others to Jesus, no matter the life’s difficult circumstances.
She has dealt with her fair share of challenges in life, as Jennifer is also blind. In the face of opposition, she has maintained an effective ministry, as well as a healthy marriage of 30 years. So, what’s her secret to handling marital conflict well?
With a laugh, she shares, “I don’t think we have enough time to explain all the ways we have not done it well.”
How many of you can relate to that? We lose our temper, we respond harshly, or we avoid communication altogether! Has any of this become a pattern in your marriage? Be encouraged by Jennifer’s words:
“Here I am 30 years passed, and I look back in our marriage and I think, ‘You know what, it was those mistakes that helped refine, and they helped to teach us how to love each other better.'”
Instead of letting those mistakes define their marriage, they used those mistakes to learn and to strengthen their relationship? How can you do that today?
Jennifer goes on to share practical ways she and her husband have improved their conflict communication over the years. One thing she shares is that if there is something they need to resolve, they don’t handle it before bed in the bedroom, but they choose to go on a walk instead.
This gives the couple time to cool off, and it keeps the bedroom as a place to love and connect with each other, not a place to fight. Listen to a clip from the interview below:
To hear more practical tips on marital conflict, and to learn more about Jennifer Rothschild’s ministry, listen to the full interview by signing up for The Campfire today.
