Marriage is hard. Even the best of marriages have tough times. In those bad times and even in the good times, we have to deal with our own selfishness once we get married. That’s why its so important to depend on our relationship with the Lord. The Bible encourages us to be “quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger”. James 1:19 Your spouse needs you to truly listen to him/her, not to jump in with opinion or solutions. The word “hear” means to listen attentively with the idea that you will do something with what you have heard. It means that we really want to know what our mate is bringing to the table so that we can respond and act to what is truly being communicated. Remember this saying: “Listen without defending and speak without offending.”