Opposing Negativity
A couple once came to me with genuine interest in restoring their shalom bayit. After I helped them iron out their differences, they got up to leave. Seconds before they left my office, I heard the wife tell her husband, “Besides for everything, I really wish you would get rid of the computer.” The man answered that he needed his computer for his work. But she stood her ground. “More than once I have caught you looking at inappropriate material. I want this to stop immediately.”
Knowing that in another moment or two, they would be back to square one, I decided it was time to intervene. I did not want to lose everything we had painstakingly spent so long achieving. Finally, the man agreed to remove the computer from the house. They left in a good frame of mind, and their marital harmony was restored.
Upon reflection, I realized that this woman was a true “helpmate opposite him.” She seemed to be opposed to him, but was essentially his biggest help. By standing firm in her position that the computer should be banned, she saved her marriage as well as her children’s upbringing. Now they could live in peace and harmony. She depicted a prime example of a “helpmate opposite him.”
