"Home is the nicest word there is." ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
In love with Jesus. Wife to my best friend & man I love more than life. Mama to 4 amazing God given blessings. Proud Homemaker & Homeschooler. Living life with it's ups and downs and blogging about it!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Your Man, Continued...

Ephesians 5:33 (Amplified Bible)
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

33However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [[a]that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and [b]that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. [I Pet. 3:2.]

Reading this, I find myself very convicted of my actions as Charlie's wife. Without throwing any stones at anyone, I would have to say that I do not have a good example of this verse to look up to. Many things contribute to that truth but nevertheless, it is still truth. So, therefore, I sometimes find this verse hard to put into action.

I often feel like my anger and frustration is justified and I often find myself following the judgement or reccomendation of others (family) and trying to explain it to Charlie , why we should take the route they recommend or in some cases, command politely. lol. It doesn't matter what anyone else believes is right or wrong for us, it's Charlie's decision according to the word of God. And, I do have enough faith in my husband to believe that God will show him the way to go. Even if the decision may turn out to be the wrong one, I must believe and have faith that it will teach us a valuable lesson and that is in God's plan for us. Because you see, once I hand it all over to Charlie, I am resting in God's will. It is HIS will that Charlie is my husband and I am his wife.

Once you see this and understand it, I have realized that it is not so hard to implement respect and admiration and esteem for your husband into your marriage. It just comes naturally. It is when you fight the natural way of God that things start to get messy and you find it very difficult to honor your husband. You start thinking of what he owes you and how difficult your life is and oh, all the decisions that he can't be trusted to make. How he doesn't bring you flowers enough or take you out or pick up his socks. And don't argue ladies, because you know that I am right! :o) I am talking to myself first of all! This is what I do! And I know that I am not alone in behaving this way. For one thing, I see it all around me. My family is this way. Yes, if you are reading, I am talking about you. It's just what women do, we fight authority. We have since Adam & Eve.

What I know about my husband's authority is this: When I treat my husband with honor and respect and I admire and esteem him, our life flows so much smoother. He is happy. He does kind things for me more often, he doesn't complain as much. He tells me how grateful and blessed he is to have me as his wife. And he makes the best decisions during these times. Of course, he will fail at times, as will I and anyone who is human and lives here on Earth. But, he will also have the strength to carry on and correct his mistakes because he is being supported and not belittled.

So, I plan on taking this challenge and making my husband's and my family (Charlie, Julie, Claire, Lily & Baby)'s life a lot easier and more blessed and peaceful. Care to join me? If you do, leave me a post and let me know if you are posting on your blog. If you are already doing something similar just feel free to let me know and I will put your name and blog up as well. Please do join in, I guarantee that it will bless your marriage! (Can you tell I have done this before?) lol.

Here is the first part of the challenge: Day 1:


We're so glad you've decided to accept the "30-Day Husband Encouragement Challenge"! Your decision means that you truly want to be a blessing in your home. This challenge will also result in spiritual growth in your own life.

We'd like to encourage you to keep track of what God does in your marriage over this next month. We hope you'll take time to share what God does in your home as you bless and encourage your spouse.

To refresh your memory, here's the challenge for the next 30 days:
* You can't say anything negative about your husband . . . to your husband, or to anyone else.


* Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband . . . to your husband . . . and to someone else.

To help you get started, have you ever thanked your husband for "choosing you" above all other women? He found you attractive as a person, and appreciated you. Though many circumstances in your marriage may have changed, let your husband know that you are glad God led you together, and that you want to be a blessing to him for the rest of your marriage.
One of the best opportunities to express your gratitude is first thing in the morning. How do you greet your husband each morning? Is he confident in your love? Give him a "wake up call" that he'll never forget--a big "I love you" and an "I'm so glad I'm your wife!


""The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:11-12)

Go to REVIVE OUR HEARTS to join online and get an e-mail reminder each day!

Love, Julie

3 comments:

cryssi said...

AMEN! And yes I am doing this but I dont know if I will be able to post on my blog or not. I have a very busy schedule right now.
I'll pray that yours goes well and that you are able to report good things as I know how hard it is...being a part of your family and all. lol.

Love Ya
Sis

Denise said...

This is awesome, I am going to do this on my blog, starting tomorrow.

Amy said...

Thanks for posting this. I've done the challenge before, and we just did a bible study by Emerson Eggrich (Love and Respect), BUT I am finding myself in need of this challenge again. It's a constant battle against my tongue. It's eye opening to realize just how much affect my words have on my husband and also my children.

If we don't find Him in the small things, how will we ever find Him in the big ones? ~Elisabeth Elliot