Friday, August 22, 2008

Respect: Language (cont)

Empowering

Are you having trouble connecting with your husband? Does he not really seem like your friend any more? More of just a roommate? Passing through the same space each day, but no real connecting?

Here is a language topic that has particularly been on my mind lately. Having a husband in a line of work that demands he give respect to others regularly (even, dare I say it, others who don't necessarily deserve respect) - I have found that as he comes home, he is often in need. Not even in need of sex or physical intimacy - but just a wife that will treat and remind him that he is important. Not only does he need to know he is important but he needs to know why he is important. I know I have said this many times before, but when it comes to compliments BE SPECIFIC!

If you find yourself struggling to come up with a list of things to praise him for - you probably are not thinking of him regularly enough through out the day. I thought I could throw out some of these compliments to get the juices flowing.

I will even bold the part of the sentence where you can add your SPECIFIC compliment for your husband: (These are all notes I have left on lance's vespa at work, nothing like a surprise compliment!)

Among all the men that have ever been and ever will be, you are the one I respect, love, and long for. Make love to me tonight.

As I was washing dishes today, I thought to myself - even if I had a lifetime full of washing dishes by hand - if it meant I could be yours, I would readily choose it.

Though you don't always trust your decision making, I am confident in you. I will follow you anywhere, with joy in my heart, simply because it is you.

Last night laying in bed, talking about our dreams of the future, reminded me that I am promised to a man who believes I am capable of greatness. You have no idea what that means to me.

Even though you are surrounded by men who love the world and it's treasures, you continue to be set apart and long for eternal things. Know that it has not gone unnoticed. You make me want to be Home.


Just a few ideas. Don't trick yourselves into thinking that your husbands don't care about your opinion of them. They do! Try to make it a point to say one empowering thing to your husband each day in the next week - come back and say whether you can see a change! Your compliments don't have to be as wordy as mine - I'm a dork. I know it. It can be something as simple as: "Thank you for working so hard to take care of our family." or "You took out the trash and I didn't even have to ask you. That means a lot to me!"

Praying for your marriages friends.

No comments: