Is Winning Worth More Than the Relationship?

As a pastor I'm frequently helping couples strengthen their relationship with one another. One of the most common destructive habit patterns I see in couples is an unwillingness to drop an argument. Unfortunately both people want their point of view to win the argument, and unfortunately this comes at a costly price. Is making your point more important to you than the relationship? Is your stance more important than the other person? The sad reality of these questions is that a person is often more willing to be right about something, even at the costly expense to their relationship. Sometimes it can be the husband and other times it can be the wife. So what's the key here when it comes to relationships? Is it stomping all over your spouse and doing a victory dance? Absolutely not! The key to healthy and successful relationships is humility. It's being willing to say, "the outcome isn't as important to me as our relationship." It takes a person of courage and loyalty to be able to say this. Romans 12:10 tells us to, "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." Many divorces and separations are the result of pride and an unwillingness to honor the other person. If a person loves with genuine affection in a relationship you'll see them truly honor the person. To them it's not about winning, it's about loving. So if you drop something does that mean that you were wrong and the other person was right? Nope! It just means that you value the relationship more than winning or proving your point :) What do you value more?