Listening To My Voice Around The House

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I saw a couple the other day and heard the wife speaking to her husband in a very demeaning and disrespectful tone over something that he innocently asked. Her tone made me feel terrible and it saddened me to imagine what that feels like to a husband or child. I can only imagine how many divorces have been greatly influenced by the inability to speak kindly to each other. It gave me pause to think about how my voice sounds with my loved ones.

Yesterday I heard Joel Osteen say that the greatest gift a wife can give her husband is to honor him, to treat him with respect. It's amazing how it's often hardest to show love and respect to those closest to us. It's easy to get into bad habits in our homes, to allow negative tones, impatience and tiredness deeply affect the way we talk to our family members.

How does my voice sound? Do I sound like someone I would want to meet on the street, work with in an office or have for a spouse or parent? Do I sound critical, fretful and worried about every step every one takes? Or do I sound courageous,  loving and supportive? I will admit there have been times when I have heard my own voice sound much more ornery, critical and unkind than I would ever hope to sound. I have quickly apologized and made renewed commitments to do better. I'm recommitting to check in with myself regularly to see what it is that my family is seeing and hearing from me.

I set the tone by how I speak in my home and family. We women also have a big influence on how we allow others to speak in our homes too. Think what good spouses those kids will be down the line if they learn to speak with honor and respect to their family members in our homes. It's a good practice to get in to and definitely makes for a happier home every day. I hope that the sounds of our home will be remembered as sweet, loving and kindly music.