In his book “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work,” Dr. John Gottman talks about husbands accepting their wives influence. This brings to mind the saying, "behind every great man is a great woman." This may not necessarily apply to all men but for the men who this does apply to, they have accepted their wives influence. Gottman speaks of a colleague who said he makes the decisions in his family. He and his wife talk about an issue or matter then when they agree he makes the decision. I strongly believe that this is the best way for a marriage to work. The husband understands that his wife's opinion matters a great deal and he shows her great respect in discussing the matter with her. The wife in turn shows respect to her husband by trusting in his decision.
Chapter 4 of H.W. Goddard’s book “Drawing Heaven into Your Marriage,” “Humility and Repentance” can be tied into Dr. Gottman's teachings about accepting influence. When Brother Goddard describes Alma the Younger's story of conversion he points out, "He knew that his ONLY hope was outside himself." Here Goddard is referring to God's influence. Alma had to put aside his own pride and accept God's influence. So, just as God wants us to accept his influence, he also wants us to put our pride aside and accept our spouse's influence.
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