Thursday; April 30


Have you ever gotten into the “Prettier Wife Paradox”?  Let me see if I can explain.  Can you imagine two men arguing about which one of their wives is prettier?  Each may have their own facts to support their theory; each may be adamantly convinced that they are correct, but in the end, can the debate of which wife is prettier be objectively determined?  The answer is “No”. 
The reason I bring this up is to consider just how many of our arguments fall into this type of category.  It might be as unimportant as “Which football team is better or which is the best restaurant in our town?” or it can be as intense as “What are the priorities for our workplace, who is the best candidate for the position or which outreach opportunity the best one for our church?”.  In all honestly, many of the things we debate are subjective and based on opinions.  We have to remember that in matters of opinion, it doesn’t matter how strong our beliefs are, they are still subjective. 
Unfortunately, I know of too many relationships and friendships that have been hampered or even ruined because of opinions.  Because we feel so strong about what we believe, we allow our emotions to overwhelm our relationships.  When we get into a situation like this – and we begin to find ourselves encroaching on an adversarial interaction – let’s remember the “Prettier Wife Paradox”.  No, we don’t have to give up our opinions, but let’s not allow our subjective beliefs to be so intense and rigid that we create walls rather than build bridges.
Think About It!

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