» Proverbs 17:14 Biblical Perspectives On Narcissism

.

Proverbs 17:14

¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

.

This verse brings to mind pin-pricking a balloon filled with water. It does not just spring a little leak when pricked, but immediately gushes out all the water. You cannot hold it back once it starts.

A narcissist is constantly striving to exalt themselves in their hearts – battling anything that gets in the way. Their pride makes them unable to admit that they are wrong. Therefore, whenever a fact is in dispute (i.e. – who said what, who did what, etc.) it is impossible for them to concede that you were right and they were wrong. This is true even if they made up the “fact” in question out of thin air.

If you directly engage the N in trying to get the record straight, you are walking straight into a conflict. If you do succeed in proving your point, the N will be angry that you proved them wrong. They will then attack you on how you approached the issue with statements like: “Why do you always have to pick on me”, “You pick at every little thing I say”, “I try so hard”, “I can’t do anything right in your eyes”, etc. Because there is probably a little grain of truth to what they are saying, it will be impossible to defend yourself without continuing the strife. So they’ve still got you.

In many cases, the issue about which you are trying to correct the record does not really matter, and you are likely arguing the point simply out of your own pride. Maybe make your point once. If the N pushes back out of their own drive to be correct, drop the issue without any final passive-aggressive digs at the N. Then trust the Lord. It may not seem right that you have to “concede”, but God will ultimately have the last say.

This in fact is one application of the general admonition to “avoid them”.

Please see Putting “Biblical Perspectives On Narcissism” Into Perspective to better understand what this blog is about.

[Note: This blog entry is intended for men. It was a difficult blog post to write, and I’m still working through it. But it was far enough along to push the “publish” button and provide you with a launch point for your own search into the subject. It may seem as though I am just focusing on narcissistic women, with men as victims, but I hope to write a similar post on the reverse relationship – a wife living with a narcissistic husband – in the near future.

Underneath this entire blog post is the view that marriage is a human illustration of a divine relationship]

Romans 12:18

¹⁸If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

¹³Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. ¹⁴Let all that you do be done in love.

.

How is it possible to be peacefully married to a a contentious woman and still be a real man? A tough question. Her modus operandi is to dominate you, which leaves you the seemingly impossible choices of either fighting back and creating a war at home, or submitting, neither of which is appealing (or correct). This post summarizes a range of things to consider for dealing with the situation. Your contentious woman could range from one who is merely annoying to one who is “impossible to live with”.

Continue reading →