Chapter 2: The Shepherd Knows His Wife
Question: Do you currently know your partner's most serious anxiety or their deepest longing right now - without asking, could you answer correctly? Knowing and being known is a beautiful gift, and marriage is the most intimate relationship between people to be known. Timothy Witmer gives three helpful principles that husbands and wives can use to know their spouses better, and as leaders, men must take the lead and make time to get to know each other.
“Do you currently know your partner’s most serious anxiety or their deepest longing right now?”
The first principle is presence, which is spending quality time with one another and a quantity of time together.
Second, the principle of partnership: what are your shared goals and hobbies, and how do you serve together?
Third is communication, and quality communication begins with quality listening. Learn to listen; don't rush to respond or feel the need to say the first thing that comes to mind. Quality listening is serious work! It involves being undistracted and hearing the meaning behind the words spoken. And after listening, try talking to the heart of your spouse. This type of communication leads to a deeper prayer life and will undoubtedly lead you to answer the two questions above.