Proverbs 19:13

A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.

So what exactly does a “quarrelsome wife” do? She nags. She nags again. She huffs and sighs. She challenges her husband’s authority. She makes him feel incompetent. She grumbles. She reminds him of past failures. She degrades him verbally. She says things like: “Why don’t you do like so and so? You never___________. I’ve told you over and over ____________.  I can’t stand how you ____________.”

Sounds fun, huh?

A constant leak in your roof will eventually soak and rot the boards underneath…and so it is with the quarrelsome wife. She slowly but surely soaks her husband’s heart with anger, regret, disappointment, sadness, feelings of incompetence, and fear of failure. Eventually, the constant drip-drip-drip of her condescension and condemnation rots his heart and soul until he becomes a mere shadow of the man he used to be.

Are you a player in this sad affair?

Husbands: Remember who you are in Christ! If your wife is a Believer, lovingly take her into the Scriptures to see what God has to say about the way you are to treat one another. Examine your own heart. Pray without ceasing. Step into your role as the head of your household and be the kind of man the Lord calls you to be. If your quarrelsome wife has yet to be born again, love her as Christ loves the church and pray for her salvation with all your heart and soul!

Wives: Are these descriptions of the quarrelsome wife ringing true in your heart? Repent and return to Christ! See your husband through the eyes of your Savior who loves him and died for him. Humble yourself before God’s Word and submit your anger and frustration to the healing power of His Spirit. Your husband’s sin or lack of living up to your expectations is never an excuse to treat him with anything less than a neighborly love. Your role is to support him in word, prayer, and deed…not tear him down.