Twenty.

[Only 10 more days until the big day!]

#20: He is a good listener

I'm currently working through a Bible study on Christian (obviously) apologetics, and last week we focused on listening skills. Sounds easy and boring, right? Well, the moral of the story is that most of us, myself included, are not good listeners for a variety of reasons. Good listening takes a lot of intentionality--perhaps more and more in this information-packed, media-centered age--and it really is an art form and a ministry. I use the term "ministry" because so often, people just wanted to be listened to, and relationships can go much deeper if intentional listening is a part of your interactions.

Listening intently, no doubt

 Anyways, early in our marriage, T suffered from the common misconception of husbands and wives--if the wife is presenting a problem to the husband, he immediately wants to fix it. There was a lot of frustration on both sides until we figured out what the communication glitch was--sometimes I just wanted to be listened to even if there wasn't a ready made solution. And in turn, I learned that letting someone else (at least when that someone is your sweet husband) help you problem solve can be enormously helpful. Recently, I've noticed that Thomas has become much more adept at knowing when to problem solve, and when to just let me talk. It's pretty awesome and I know it's healthy and great for our marriage.

So yeah. Listening is a ministry. Start doing it more, and notice your relationships change.