When I read my sister’s post this past Saturday on being an “understanding wife,” this was the image which came to my mind.

A new roll of toilet paper on top of an old one- it’s an all too common occurrence as I walk into my bathroom.

In the early years of my marriage- this sight would have caused a myriad of negative reactions- annoyance, nagging, annoyance ….did I mention annoyance?

Seventeen years into marriage, God reminds me…it’s not a big deal…so I laugh, take a pic and 5 seconds later- I put the new roll on properly.

The years of marriage have taught me that my husband and I each have our own set of strengths which we bring into our marriage and in maintaining our home.

Fingerprints on our appliances don’t bother me, but they bother him.
Toilet paper rolls- I guess that’s my area of expertise.

Proverbs 19:14 states, “Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.”

In her recent post, Anu expounds on the verse above and on the importance of “understanding” one another.

“Sometimes, we work so hard to make sure that we are understood that we forget, our husbands need to be understood too.

He wants us to understand that he is human and will mess up. He hopes that we understand that he sees the world differently but that doesn’t make him wrong…it just makes him different.

The world we live in doesn’t always take the time to understand us but I can make my home a place where my husband feels understood.”

A wise friend reminded me recently, marriage isn’t 50/50. Divorce is.

Marriage is 100/100.

Each of us selflessly giving our all. Working through our differences and asking God to give us a greater “understanding” of one another.

I’ve heard it said that “Marriage wasn’t meant to make us happy, it was meant to make us holy.” Hopefully, with God’s gift of “understanding” poured out on each of us, we can be both.

-Binu