31 Days: Marriage Devotionals
31 Days: Marriage Devotionals
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Day 29: Minding Your Own Business --- What One Young Wife Decides - 31 Days: Marriage Devotionals

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Getting Started

Getting Started

Day 1: The Destructive Power of Harmful Words

Day 1: The Destructive Power of Harmful Words

Day 2: The Constructive Power of Helpful Words

Day 2: The Constructive Power of Helpful Words

Day 3: Ceasing Our Harmful Thoughts: Time for Some Brain Surgery

Day 3: Ceasing Our Harmful Thoughts: Time for Some Brain Surgery

Day 4: Building a New Habit: The Power of Positive Thinking

Day 4: Building a New Habit: The Power of Positive Thinking

Day 5: The Unifying Power of Common Experiences

Day 5: The Unifying Power of Common Experiences

Day 6: Key to Preserving Your Marriage: Being Intentional About Your Focus

Day 6: Key to Preserving Your Marriage: Being Intentional About Your Focus

Day 7: Two Pathways to Riches: Have More or Want Less

Day 7: Two Pathways to Riches: Have More or Want Less

Day 8: Working Together in Harmony Produces Beautiful Music

Day 8: Working Together in Harmony Produces Beautiful Music

Day 9: This Honorable Estate

Day 9: This Honorable Estate

Day 10: Other Dimensions of Faithfulness: Part 1

Day 10: Other Dimensions of Faithfulness: Part 1

Day 11: Other Dimensions of Faithfulness: Part 2

Day 11: Other Dimensions of Faithfulness: Part 2

Day 12: Faithfulness: The Foundation of Trust in a Relationship

Day 12: Faithfulness: The Foundation of Trust in a Relationship

Day 13: Be Angry – Yet Do Not Sin

Day 13: Be Angry – Yet Do Not Sin

Day 14: Solve It Before the Sun Sets --- or at Least Before Bedtime

Day 14: Solve It Before the Sun Sets --- or at Least Before Bedtime

Day 15: The Wisdom We Need Is Peaceable

Day 15: The Wisdom We Need Is Peaceable

Day 16: The Wisdom We Need Is Gentle

Day 16: The Wisdom We Need Is Gentle

Day 17: The Wisdom We Need Is Willing to Yield

Day 17: The Wisdom We Need Is Willing to Yield

Day 18: The Wisdom We Need Is Full of Mercy

Day 18: The Wisdom We Need Is Full of Mercy

Day 19: The Wisdom We Need Is Without Hypocrisy

Day 19: The Wisdom We Need Is Without Hypocrisy

Day 20: What? Me Worry? Husbands Edition

Day 20: What? Me Worry? Husbands Edition

Day 21: What? Me Worry? Wives Edition

Day 21: What? Me Worry? Wives Edition

Day 22: Marriage Builder Tip: Be Patient with Each Other

Day 22: Marriage Builder Tip: Be Patient with Each Other

Day 23: Marriage Builder Tip: The Beauty of a Clean Slate

Day 23: Marriage Builder Tip: The Beauty of a Clean Slate

Day 24: Marriage Builder Tip: The Power of Perseverance

Day 24: Marriage Builder Tip: The Power of Perseverance

Day 25: Marriage Builder Tip: The Power of Prayerful Hope

Day 25: Marriage Builder Tip: The Power of Prayerful Hope

Day 26: The Destructive Power of a Restless Spirit

Day 26: The Destructive Power of a Restless Spirit

Day 27: The Contagious Power of Relentless Contentment

Day 27: The Contagious Power of Relentless Contentment

Day 28: A Quiet Life: Learning to Guard Your Privacy – and Your Partner’s Privacy

Day 28: A Quiet Life: Learning to Guard Your Privacy – and Your Partner’s Privacy

Day 29: Minding Your Own Business --- What One Young Wife Decides

Day 29: Minding Your Own Business --- What One Young Wife Decides

Day 30: Earn Your Own Living – What Does This Mean to You?

Day 30: Earn Your Own Living – What Does This Mean to You?

Day 31: Winning the Respect of Others --- Your Marriage Matters

Day 31: Winning the Respect of Others --- Your Marriage Matters

Discipleship Place
John ComstockJul 21, 2021 9:59 pm GMT

Scripture Focus: Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your own living . . . in this way you will win the respect of those who are not believers . . . I Thessalonians 4:11-12

 

One thing Janet loved about her new church was the fact that she was not alone. There were at least six other young couples attending; Janet had other young wives that she could turn to for advice, counsel, and support. What a blessing!

 

Janet got to know these young women; she was quickly incorporated into their circle of friendship. The women got together at each other’s homes, shared recipes, helped each other by babysitting when needed, and more. Her new network was close-knit and available to her at a moment’s notice. All she had to do was call!

 

What Janet wasn’t prepared for was this: Whenever these young wives gathered, the topic of conversation quickly became their husbands --- their faults and failings. It seemed like no one ever spoke up to praise her husband or to express gratitude for the kind of person he was. Instead, there was an atmosphere that Janet later described as poisonous or toxic in the conversations these women shared about their marriages.

 

It took several months for Janet to realize that for her own sake, she needed to find some new friends. It was hard to break away from a group that had accepted her, offered her free babysitting, and had been the source of much helpful advice. Yet Janet, for the sake of her own soul, reached the place where she just couldn’t listen to the group’s gossip and criticism on such a constant basis. She needed to get away.

 

“I couldn’t take it any more,” Janet told us later. “I really valued the friendships, but I was really tired of so much gossip about everyone else’s private business.”

 

For your personal reflection:

  • Are there friendships or relationships that you need to move away from, because the topics of conversation are frequently toxic or poisonous?
  • Do you need to change your social circles in order to carefully “mind your own business?”

Prayer: Lord, You know that I can get caught up in gossip just as quickly as anyone else. Sometimes I don’t even realize that it’s happening! Help me to successfully mind my own business. Also, help me to stay away from people who consistently seem to be minding everyone else’s business! That kind of conversation threatens my soul.



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