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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Two Shall Become One ...

by Sandy Coughlin
(Win a copy of Married but Not Engaged by posting a comment over at my blog!)

“Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.” Proverbs 14:9

After 17 years of marriage, I can look back and say that it was my job to love my husband, Paul. Not to change him. And it was God’s job to make him good and my responsibility to express goodwill – not condemnation.

Was I a woman of goodwill?

I was tested by this “goodwill” question when I married a Christian Nice Guy (CNG) seventeen years ago. A CNG, you might ask? I didn’t realize that the daily abuse my husband suffered as a child would affect our everyday life together. What I thought were such “nice” Christian qualities in my husband when we married turned into frustrations and fireworks because of my husband’s passive approach to life. Oh, don’t get me wrong. My husband had amazing qualities, so that to this day I have never looked back.

What exactly is goodwill in a marriage?

Goodwill is a tangible, practical expression of love. Helpfulness, concern, care, friendly disposition – are all related to goodwill and all lead to intimacy. It is the willingness to act in a spirit of cooperation, instead of trying to win arguments. It is proactive, alive, and dynamic. Goodwill is not a passive attribute. Goodwill is among the most concrete ways of expressing love and fostering intimacy, yet when we think about this word, we think of used clothing.

How do you know if you have it?

The will to do “good” toward your spouse is more than having good feelings for him (thank goodness). Though good feelings are important, goodwill also includes kindness, consideration, thoughtfulness, and practical support. This is wonderful news for CNG wives, because controlling how we feel is often harder than exerting our will to determine our good actions.

It’s okay and even normal to have mixed feelings about my/your husband at times. For me, being an assertive woman, I found myself frustrated in this passive marriage. My husband lived under the radar of life. He felt that if he lived life safely, his problems would be few. And this affected the intimacy between us, though we both yearned for more depth in our relationship.

Intimacy is a choice, and you have to be available, present and vulnerable with one another. My CNG didn’t always feel safe with me, so it was easier for him to not always “show up.” It was difficult for him to make his wants and needs known and he didn’t always come clean with how he felt. I found myself often walking on eggshells - not a fun way to live.

How do you lose goodwill?

Goodwill, present in most marriages when vows are exchanged, can become virtually buried under the rubble of anger, resentment and dwindling respect that builds over time. Coming to terms with these emotions is vital if you’re going to give your efforts toward helping intimacy grow.

If you lack goodwill, take up the task of becoming a worthy steward of your husband’s heart. It worked for me. I learned to be more supportive and understanding of my husband’s wacky past, and I started pulling out my secret weapon – empathy. I became a woman of goodwill when I made an effort to understand Paul more, and I stopped the nagging, coercing, attacking and shaming (which in reality only pushed him further from me).

I came to the understanding that passive people are made (through life’s experiences), and not born. I then started feeling more for Paul and becoming more empathetic toward him. My respect was strengthened as I became increasingly able to see his struggles in a healthier light. My respect for him was enhanced even more once he started being more open and honest, and he began to exert his will and express his feelings.

When it comes to love and intimacy, goodwill is like silverware: Almost everyone can learn how to use it, even though we weren’t born knowing how, and even though some of us took a long time to try it. Goodwill is remarkably practical and beneficial for those who produce it and receive it.

It’s more than a feeling.

(Thank you Sue, for allowing me to be your guest today. For more insight on this subject, head over to my blog, 4 Reluctant Entertainers and enter a comment to win a copy of, Married but Not Engaged, co-written with my husband Paul. Or, you can check out No More Christian Nice Guy here.)

10 comments:

Praise and Coffee said...

Sandy,
Thanks so much for the encouraging and challenging words!
You book and your husband's book sound awesome.

I appreciate you and your ministry, and I love your blog!

Sue

A Stone Gatherer said...

Sandy,
A wonderful Challenge to remember! Thanks for subbing for Sue!

Dimple Queen said...

Sandy,

Thank you for those encouraging words. I hope to stop by your place sometime soon. The books sound great! I would love to check them out.

Angela

concerned parent said...

I can so relate to this post and I know I have to get your book, thank you for posting to Sue's sit today on my way to check out your blog.

Zaankali said...

Okay you fancy lady... how did you get that little coffee cup to appear up in the space where the site you are on appears instead of the little blogger picture? that is really cool.
Smiles!

Praise and Coffee said...

Jennifer,
You are so funny!
It is called a "favican" and even though I did it, I have no idea how! It took a lot of reading and messing with it. Just search favicon and several sites will help you! But I don't even remember which I used. It was definitely a "pull my hair out" thing!
Have fun!
Sue

Anonymous said...

Sue, Thanks for sharing Sandy with us, Sandy, Thanks for sharing such wisdom that was really great:)

Mocha with Linda said...

Thanks for the encouraging words!

Anonymous said...

This was great!!!This is so needed and you approached it with was such gracfulness and dignity. I ran across a christian blog site recently that dicussed this issue but went on to give graphic details about her own sex life that was sooo inappropriate. Hats of to you!!

mnemosyne_twin said...

very cute blog

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