Woman of 25,000 Words

I recently read that research shows the average woman speaks close to 25,000 words each day compared to the average man's 10,000. Gary Smalley concludes that women have a need to connect through words and men simply don't have a need to talk as much. He gave this example, which I could easily relate to..."When the husband comes home in the evening, he's already spent his 10,000 words at work and has no energy left for communication. The wife, on the other hand, may be home with the children all day, and she is just warming up because she's got to get in her 25,000 words with an adult before sundown!" That's how I feel sometimes after being at home with the kids all day...I can't wait for Jeremy to walk in the door so I can tell him everything I've thought about all day long :) That's why having some close female friends to chat with (or email) during the day can be so helpful. Women simply need to communicate.

Then another passage in this book caught my eye...this one is for you husbands. "Start talking. She needs to talk. It's necessary to her happiness, her security, and even to her health. Whether you want to talk doesn't matter. If you love her you will want to meet her deepest needs. Start talking and make sure you are truly engaged in the process, not merely mouthing words from a sense of duty...If you withdraw into your own comfortable silence, the enemy is sure to fill the communication gap and talk to your wife. She will lie awake at night wanting so much to understand your heart that words will come into her mind to express what she thinks you are thinking." And the stuff the enemy has to say is never good, or true. (I Promise by Gary Smalley)

My husband does a great job of listening to me when I simply need to talk. But on days that he is busy with other responsibilities, I am thankful for my girlfriends and my man Jesus, who frequently fill in the gap so that the enemy doesn't get the chance.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life - Proverbs 4:23