Contentious spouse anyone?

I have been married for 30 years. My wife and I have never argued very much, and have long since quit fighting or arguing about anything.
Basically she knows how I am, and I know how she is. Neither one of us are perfect and both of us know it. I overlook her faults and she does likewise. Sometimes I do something to hurt her feelings or upset her and I apologize when I do. She never apologizes for anything. (Just kidding, she is quick to apologize too.) Too much pride has ruined a many a marriage. After all, how hard can it be to ahem, ahem, er, let me see, ahem, a- a-a-a-p-o-l-o-g-i-z-e?

A relationship whereby we can accept each other “as is”, makes life more tolerable all of the way around. None of us are perfect. That means your spouse has faults alright, but wait a minute, so do you! Assuming the faults are not something overboard like abuse, infidelity, alcoholism, or something of a very serious nature, most everything can be worked out if BOTH parties will simply bend a little, or maybe even bend a lot, in order to keep the peace.

I have several married friends who fuss and fight all of the time. What a waste of perfectly good time. Some of them have a situation whereby the husband consistently acts like a jerk towards his wife, and some where it is the wife who acts like a jerk towards her husband. The odd thing about it is that they treat everyone else much better than they treat their own spouse who is their partner for life. It seems to me that if anyone is to be happy in marriage, (or at work or anywhere), they must not be selfish and must show some consideration for someone besides themselves. It is not, “What is in it for me?”, but “WE”.

Marriage is all about teamwork and sharing. The Bible teaches that we become “one” when we marry. Where do some couples come off splitting things off, for example: “My money-Your money”. If, according to God, the two become “one” after they are joined in marriage, wouldn’t it be:
“Our money”? Our problems? Our kids? Our house? Our vacation? Our spiritual life? Is it “our”, or “my”? God teaches it should be “our”.

I believe people can get along about as much as they want to get along. It takes effort and we must move from a self-serving spirit to considering someone other than ourselves. I guess many are so spoiled that they simply must have their own way on “every” issue, or they are going to make someone “pay the price”. Even if someone has the patience of Job, serious problems will eventually arise if they are forced to listen to a contentious spouse make them “pay the price” over and over again until it becomes, once to often. You do know what the Bible says about contentious spouses, don’t you?

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Proverbs 21:9
Better to dwell in a corner of
a housetop,
Than in a house shared with
a contentious woman.