Improve your communication, continued:Be kind and courteous, continued:God commands us to be king (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:32). Shouldn’t we exercise this within our marriage?Dr. John Gottman is able to predict the likelihood of divorce in a marriage based on a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative interactions.“I’m sorry” – Luke 15:21“I forgive you” – Matthew 6:14-15“Please” – Acts 26:3; Nehemiah 5:10-11“Thank you” – Luke 17:16“Good job” – Proverbs 31:28-29“I love you” – Song of Solomon 1:7Communication techniquesWrite it outAllow time for a breakUse the “speaker/listener” techniqueAre there any words or methods that are absolutely off-limits?“I told you so.”Cuss words – Ephesians 4:29Threats of divorceOne-uppingName-callingStonewalling / silent treatmentParents: radically commit to tender love and tough loveGod is the perfect example of tender love and tough love. We ought to try to imitate him.Employ a radical amount of tender loveGod expresses His love through action – John 3:16We should also express love through action – I John 3:16-18We need to recognize that it’s one thing to say we love our children, it’s another thing to showParents ought to provide the basic necessities of life.II Corinthians 12:14Proverbs 31:15, 21, 23Titus 2:4-5; I Timothy 5:14
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