I Challenge Myself to: Listen

Brutal honesty, I have a loud mouth. 

Okay, okay, we all know this.

 I'm a blogger, we have a lot of thoughts floating around in there that absolutely MUST be spoken. 

Okay, I guess you don't have to be a blogger for that to happen, but we must be extra talkative since we make a living doing this. 

Where does the problem lie with talking about everything that may be in my head for even a nano-second? 

Well, my dears, when you're busy talking, when do you get the chance to listen?

Point-in-case:

My husband and I have been going through a really, really awkward transition in our marriage. 

The kids are getting older, I'm about to start going back to school, he's got military goals he's aiming for... We're all on different pages right now. 

Everything is new, so we're slowly feeling things out. 

I've been doing the stay-at-home mom thing for so long and have been so diligent in it, that I just realized in the last few weeks (with Josh's blunt help) that I have thrown my husband into the same category as the kids. 

I didn't even trust him to take Sofia to the nursery by himself at church. 

I mean, what was I expecting? 

Would they get lost in a closet only to be transported to Narnia?

Somewhere along the way, I had subconsciously decided he was a drooling, cranky, indecisive two year old who must be corrected at all times. 

So where does over-sharing fit in?

I have been openly talking with (at) Josh about what I thought were all the problems in our marriage. 

Of course I came out looking pretty after using him as stepping stones through the mud. 

I would get frustrated when he would just shut down and not talk with me. 

The silence between one sentence to the next was excruciating. 

I couldn't figure out why it was so hard for him to just say what was on his daggum mind. 

Then tonight, it just hit me, when In the last 8 years has he gotten to share without repercussion? 

NEVER. 

I have a habit of saying, "I didn't act wrong. I was only reacting to how you made me feel."

Yeah, you can't really do that for an entire lifetime. 

So, tonight I am challenging myself to listen. 

Just listen and not speak unless it's encouraging and kind. 

It sounds easy to do, but Lord knows my lips will be bloody from biting them. 

Cause you know, I know EVERYTHING and I MUST share it. 

Wish me luck and send us prayers. 

Has your family ever gone through a tough transition? 

Have you ever had to sit back and let go of the control?