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In this raw episode of Lights On, Carl and Laura Lentz tackle the question every couple secretly asks during the holidays: "Is this hard because we're healing—or hard because something is broken?" The answer will challenge everything you think you know about keeping the peace in your marriage.

Drawing from five years of rebuilding their own marriage, Carl and Laura expose an uncomfortable truth: the betrayed who obsesses and the betrayer who avoids are both destroying the peace faster than the affair ever could.

Laura shares why she had to stop being the "peace keeper" in her marriage and become a "clarity seeker"—even when it was messy. Carl delivers the challenge most men avoid: If you want your wife to trust you again, stop waiting for her to calm down before you get honest. An honest man tells on himself.

From the difference between "clearing things up" and "letting things go," to why resentment accumulation destroys more marriages than the original betrayal, to their personal story of surviving Carl's rehab during Christmas with three kids—this episode delivers practical frameworks you can use today.

This episode will challenge any couple who believes avoiding hard conversations is how you keep the peace.

Follow Carl at: https://www.instagram.com/carllentz/

Follow Laura at: https://www.instagram.com/lauralentz/

Supported by Plana https://plana.org/

Supported by God Behind Bars https://godbehindbars.com

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - If You Dread The Holidays, This Is For You

01:57 - The Stats: 64% Depression Increase + 300% Conflict Amplification

04:32 - Carl In Rehab On Christmas: How We Survived

08:24 - The "Keep The Peace" Trap

11:33 - Peace Is NOT The Absence Of Conflict

14:53 - The 24-Hour Repair Rule (The #1 Marriage Predictor)

18:28 - Clear Some Things Up: The Framework

22:16 - Repair Attempts Within 24 Hours

25:02 - Vulnerable Ownership Lowers Defenses In 90 Seconds

28:09 - How To Bring Up An Issue Without Attacking

31:44 - Plana Partnership

32:10 - Clear Up The Rules Of Engagement

34:43 - The Power Of Short Accounts

38:59 - Let Some Things Go: Celebrating What Annoys You

40:14 - Laura's 4 Annoying Things About Carl

44:00 - Carl's 5 Annoying Things About Laura

49:07 - What Can You Let Go Of Today?

53:16 - Final Questions Before The Holidays End

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