Plug the Leak

The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. (Proverbs 17:14)

​One bit of counseling advice I often give married couples is that you can never over-communicate.  This is especially true when they are not getting along or when one upsets the other.  I tell them they must always be willing to talk through their disagreements even when they don’t feel like talking.  It’s fine to walk away for a few moments to calm down and gather their thoughts but, at some point, someone must go to the other and say, “We need to talk.”  Sadly, so often what happens is that they put off talking, and they put it off, and they put it off, until they reach a point where they think to themselves, ‘Oh, I’m over it.  There’s no use talking about it now.  We’re good.’  But stuffing bitter emotions down inside is never good.  Over time those hurt feelings and bitter emotions build up pressure, then one day when the other person upsets us just one more time, we explode like Mt. Saint Helen.  Here the Proverb is correct, “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”  No crack in a damn, regardless of how small, should ever be considered insignificant.  Stop the leak when it first starts before the damn breaks and kills everyone in its path.