Heart For Home Thursday~ My Man

I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to write about this morning.  I had a few ideas swirling around.  But as I did my regular "morning reads" one thing kept pounding me from every side.  How am I doing in helping my husband be everything he can be?

And yes, this has everything to do with a heart for home.  Everything.  God made marriage the absolute center of the home.

Once again, the success or failure of our position as the wife begins in the heart.  But it CANNOT stay there!  I have never had trouble respecting my husband.  In fact I can say without flinching that I respect him more than any one I know.  It's what I love the most about him.  And we all know (and if you don't know, learn it!!!) that men need respect.  I thought I had that one in the bag!  It came as quite a surprise to me several years into our marriage that my husband didn't always feel respected!  OOFH!  That felt like a punch in the gut.  How could I feel such amazing respect for him and yet he didn't feel it, in fact sometimes he felt disrespected by me!

After I emerged from my self-pity party, I started to actually look at the problem.  I asked questions, respectfully and not defensively and little by little began to understand better what communicates respect to MY husband.  I still have a long ways to go!  But it felt good to know I was gaining a better understanding of my man and was learning how to better serve him.

So number one, respecting your man starts in the heart.  Focus on the good, have a thankful heart, forgive always, appreciate the amazing gifts the Lord has blessed him with.  Number two, communicate your respect TO HIM, not just with words but in ways that he knows you absolutely respect him.

Number three, and perhaps the most difficult one to do consistently, share your heart with those around you.  Stand up for your man.  And not only your man, but husbands in general.  That may sound goofy, but men are truly under attack.  This world NEEDS real women who are willing to stand up to the worldview which makes a mockery manhood and believe what God says.

I read an article this morning by Fawn from The Happy Wives Club.  In it she wrote,

"What if, in every corner of the world, there were women like me? Women who were proud of their marriage and didn't boast or brag about it to others but simply didn't hide it. In conversations when other women were male bashing, rather than shrinking back and remaining silent, spoke up about the beauty of men and the blessings of our differences.

What if one million women, around the world, decided they were going to change the conversation within their inner circles? They wouldn't disregard the challenges many of their girlfriends are having but would simply take the time to show the other side."

So that's my challenge to myself.  And to you.  Let's speak up more.  Let's refrain from jumping in or stirring up disrespectful attitudes towards our men.  Let's do all that we can to build them up (Do I really need to address the difference between "building up" and "puffing up"?  I will if I have to!).   Let's make sure our hearts, our actions and our words are honoring to the Lord and honoring to our husband's!