I was chatting with an older sister in the Lord yesterday. “How do you present your husband with information to which he is likely to be non-receptive?” The essence of her response was, “Get his permission first.”
It reminded me of something Bob says often: “It takes two to dance. If your partner refuses the invitation, you can’t have a dance.”
We had a situation come up this morning. For Bob’s own good, he needed to hear something. My motives were pure in wanting to tell him. Honest! I decided to get his permission first. “Bob, may I tell you something about the –?” His hurried response: “I have to leave right now. I won’t be able to hear it. Tell me later.”
My friend’s kind words enabled me to let it go. What if I had pushed instead? Would it have done the good I intended? Or, would it have revealed that it was more important for me to tell than for him to hear? If you really want to connect with your spouse, make sure they are ready, willing, and able to hear. Get their permission.
