Today is my day to post at The Pastor's Wife Speaks about marriage. (Make sure you click over there, okay?) Years ago we realized we had to figure out a way to stop getting in fights on the way to church, so we started taking separate cars. It was well worth the extra expense to avoid the strife. 

Sometimes creative solutions are necessary in order to prevent strife and contention in our relationships. Logistics (small bathroom, tiny kitchen), personalities (outgoing, introverted), or habits (early birds, night owls) are all potential sources of strife.  We can continue to butt heads about something until everyone has a headache, but that is not a pleasant way to live.

 

Maybe it's time to get creative and find a way around that thing, instead of staying stuck in Pete and Repeat mode! You know the story, "Pete and his brother Repeat were sitting on a fence. Repeat fell off. Who fell off the fence? Repeat. Pete and his brother Repeat..." 

We endured a cycle of tears and stress about visiting family members. Don't get me wrong, I love these people dearly, but I'm easily overwhelmed by a lot of social activity. I would "hit the wall" and be ready to head home, but hubby was NEVER ready to leave when I was. Even if we agreed on a departure time beforehand, he would want to stay another hour, or even overnight. Today, we take two cars, which enables me to leave when I'm ready to go, and he can stay and socialize as long as he likes. It works out well for us, even though everyone thinks we're crazy.

These repetitive cycles of strife can occur anywhere human relationships are found—home, school, work, church, etc. Instead of continuing to shove round pegs into square holes, try to come up with a creative solution to prevent the strife before it starts.