Sign up for our free newsletter:

 2 of 2

Did I get the hairs out of the sink? You bet! Why? Because she likes me. Look, I'm already better than some guys. I want to be better, and she's given me a suggestion. I'm highly motivated, and I'm now an expert on "getting hairs out of the sink."

What about those things your spouse cannot or will not change? The answer is found in 1 Peter 4:8: "Love covers over a multitude of sins." I'll paraphrase that to say, "Love accepts many imperfections." Your spouse will never do everything the way you desire, even if you follow my three-step program. Some husbands have been running behind their wives, turning off lights, for 15 years. Each time they turn off the light, they mumble another noble sermon about saving money and poor stewardship. But their wives still don't turn off the lights. While I don't want to discourage you, if your spouse hasn't turned off the lights in 15 years, she may never. Maybe you need to understand that she's the light-turner-on-er, and you're the light-turner-off-er. Love accepts many imperfections.

Gary D. Chapman, Ph.D. is a marriage and relationship expert and best-selling author ofThe Five Love Languages (Moody) and Covenant Marriage (Broadman & Holman).

Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today International/Marriage Partnership magazine. Click here for reprint information on Marriage Partnership.

first page |  2 of 2

				Try 3 Issues of Christianity Today Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

RSS Feed   RSS Help