Those Cold Blanket Wars

The blanket wars have resumed in the Miller household. There had been a cease fire in the battle for quite awhile. Through the summer months blankets were not such a prized commodity, but now that fall has set in and the temperatures have gone down we had our first skirmish in a long time last night.
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Now before you feel sorry for our family and start donating bedding, realize that we have cedar chests full of blankets. The problem occurs with the tug of war that can occur during the middle of the night.
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Again, do not feel sorry for us. Our bed was piled with 3 nice quilts last night, but by morning I only had the slim edge of a sheet and the thinnest of the quilts. I sensed that all it would take was for my wife to roll over and I would have no blanket at all, so I said something to her. Her response, “I know, I don’t have any either.” Incredulously, I responded, “sit up and look how much I have!”
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She did look, and then informed me that the rest of the blankets were all on my side- on the floor. It is amazing the difference a little perspective can make.
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Crystal and I were able to laugh about what happened, but it is sad how often conflict arises between two people simply because we do not have the complete picture of what has actually happened. We may think someone has wronged us when in fact we had unintentionally wronged them.
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Proverbs 10:12 advises, “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” Fortunately the love between my wife and I is strong enough that we were able to see the humor in the event rather than inciting strife. That strife was diverted as our loving relationship was informed about what had actually happened.
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Too often people who should be getting along with each other are at odds simply because they do not understand each other. This is especially true in a husband and wife situation. I might be upset because dinner is not ready and my wife is already upset because the crock pot quit working. It was not her fault that dinner wasn’t ready and she already feels bad that she needs a new crock pot. The last thing she needs at such a time is a bitter attitude from me.
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At the same time she should not expect me to understand why dinner is late and the extra stress she is under if she does not tell me. Really what it comes down to is dwelling with one another according to understanding. In fact Peter gave specific instruction to husbands to do just that. “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7)
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Understanding one another so we get along better is not just limited to the marriage relationship. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalms 133:1)
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Let us take time to see the bigger picture so that we understand what the other person is going through. Then hopefully our blanket wars will be something we can look back and laugh at instead of adding tension to our relationships.