Genesis 3:7 — And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

I was saddened to see, a month or so ago, that British actor Bob Hoskins had died. He once famously said about his career, “I came into this business uneducated, dyslexic, 5ft 6in, cubic, with a face like a squashed cabbage – and they welcomed me with open arms.” Being 5ft 6in myself (though more spherical than cubic) I appreciate the quote. More to my point today, he once was the voice for a British Telecom TV commercial for which the tag line was “It’s good to talk!”
Let me change gear for a moment. Myra and I had a disagreement this morning. My fault. Myra had asked me to do something and I hadn’t got it done. So what do you suppose happened?
What happens when this happens in your house? (Those of you who says it never does, you have deeper problems …) Does one of you go quiet and withdrawn? Does it turn into a shouting match? Or maybe a slow burn followed by a damaging explosion?
We don’t know how usual our approach is. We talk about it. We try to understand root causes. We confess our weaknesses. Sometimes we agree to differ. We forgive, and move on …
There’s a funny thing about what the Bible says directly about communication in marriage. Do you know what that is? Nothing — that’s what the Bible says directly about communication in marriage. But indirectly is another matter.
Yesterday I said that Genesis 2:25 might be the best Biblical definition of marital intimacy. My verse at the top of this piece, Genesis 3:7, gives a painful picture of the flip side. Dennis Rainey, the President of Christian Ministry Family Life, writes with great insight on these two verses:

Communicating effectively begins with discovering transparency. Transparency in marriage is described in Genesis before the fall: “The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25).
Adam and Eve were without disguise or covering, without any mask. They were uncovered physically, and they did not cover up emotionally. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were a picture of true transparency—being real, open to each other, and unafraid of rejection.
But after the fall, we read, “They knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings” (Genesis 3:7). Those famous fig leaf aprons were only part of their cover-up. Sin introduced a lot more than modesty. It also brought deceit, lying, trickery, half-truths, manipulation, misrepresentation, distortion, hatred, jealousy, control, and many other vices, all causing us to wear masks.
Many people spend tremendous time and energy building facades to hide their insecurities. They are afraid that if someone finds out who they really are, they will be rejected. For many men in particular, deep and honest communication can be very threatening. Too many wives and husbands are afraid to be honest with each other.

It’s all too true. I can give a witness from my first, failed , marriage. And if you were to ask Myra, I’m pretty sure she’d tell you that it’s taken years of work (mostly on her part) for us to get to where we are now. But both of us will tell you that the benefits are more than worth all the work.
The Bible doesn’t speak directly about communication in marriage. It does say a lot about communication in general. The most important principle might be the one expressed in Ephesians 4:15, “but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”. Husbands and wives have to be brave enough to speak the truth, and wise enough to speak in love. It’s good to talk!