Submission isn’t silence. If you don’t give your wife a voice, or if you stifle her voice for 5, 10, or more years, you will lose her, even if she doesn’t divorce you.
What does not giving your wife a voice look like in practice? If your wife feels like she doesn’t have an honest say in major decisions, or if she feels like her opinions are not valued, if she feels like you try to control her, if you make major decisions without her input, if you devalue her input, or if she doesn’t feel comfortable speaking her mind, then she likely feels that her voice doesn’t matter. These are a few examples.
If you want to know how your wife feels about this, ask, “Do you feel like you have a voice in our marriage, or do I stifle your voice or try to control you?” Then listen, and don’t give an overly quick reply. If you don’t take time to hear her heart, that will cut off communication—another perfect example of not giving her a voice.
And, if you come under conviction and respond today to God’s grace and repent of this sin, it will take two or more years for her to trust you again—and there will be setbacks along the way.
But from personal experience I can say, “It’s worth it.” So if this is you too, start today—before it’s too late.
