Happy Birthday Daniel! In honor of my sweet husband's birthday, I thought I would share a few ways that I love my husband. This is not a checklist to a perfect marriage because we certainly don't have one, and you will not be able to do all of these all the time. Know that regardless of if you do any of these things yet, God is a healer and restorer. Wherever your marriage is, God can heal wounds and restore your relationship.
1. Pray For Him
I have noticed that when I'm not taking the time to pray for Daniel that I'm a lot quicker to judge his actions and intentions. Praying for your husband will grow your marriage deeper because the focus will no longer just be you two. If you haven't been praying for your husband, try out a book like 31 Prayers for Your Husband by Jennifer Smith. I used this to get an idea of what I should be praying for him. I focus a lot on praying for his career as a firefighter. That he is safe, that God is forming him to be a leader, and that he is building relationships from which he can share Christ with his coworkers. I also pray for his relationship with God. That God would grow him and prepare him to lead our family in whatever way He takes us.
2. Encourage Him
We all struggle with doubt. Doubt about ourselves and doubt about God's plan. Whenever your husband brings up his doubts or struggles, encourage him. Remind him what scripture says. Also, encourage him to feel comfortable bringing up those doubts with you. I guarantee your husband is struggling with something, he just may not have said anything about it. The enemy wants spouses to be disconnected, and not share their hearts with each other. He wants to tear apart relationships and marriages. Don't let him.
3. Affirm Him
As wives we have the ability to build up and affirm our husband, or to tear them down. To affirm him, you have to focus on what his strengths are. What is he good at? Is it woodworking, his job in sales, building relationships, understanding the Bible, or even doing yard work? Take every chance you get to affirm him, and tell him that he is appreciated and loved. I want to encourage my husbands growth, not contribute to a lack of confidence.
4. Respect Him
Husbands deserve respect from their wives and children. God has given them authority over the family for reason. He is the leader, and as a leader he should be respected. That respect includes his decisions, opinions, abilities, and qualities. Decisions are the hardest to respect, especially if you disagree. It's possible to disagree and explain why you disagree while still respecting your husbands decision. Respect does not mean that you are a silent partner. Once your husband does make a decision, right or wrong, no good can come from nagging or complaining. God has called us to respect our husbands because it will make our marriages more glorifying to Him!
God loves us and wants our marriages to be a reflection of that love. I still struggle to do all of these things, but I can easily tell the difference in our marriage between when I am and when I'm not. I pray that you find the strength and courage to begin praying, encouraging, affirming, and respecting your husband.
xoxo,
kelsey
