"Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them." Colossians 3:19
Hey guys, (ladies, by all means follow along, as well) have you been guilty of putting your foot in your mouth? Have you said or done something, whether purposely or not, that gave such a look from your wife that you said to you was everything short of loving? Guilty, as charged!
Having a disagreement is bad enough. You add stubbornness, shouting, and harsh language; now you have a much larger issue. It turned from a conversation to a fighting match. You could almost hear the bell ring for Round 1 to end and Round 2 to begin. Where did the love in that conversation cease to exist? Even more, you just pushed aside God, the guide to yours and your wife's marriage.
1 Peter 3:7 states, "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you in the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." I love the King James Version using the phrase "giving honor to the wife". Honor - giving tribute, high respect, great esteem. My wife definitely deserves my highest esteem. She has achieved remarkable goals in her personal life, as well as rising up in a "man's world" business. I wouldn't tell her about that "weaker partner" bit. She'd just give you a "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" look. I haven't done a very good job of giving that honor to this remarkable creature that God put into my life. Have you found yourself in that situation? Yeahhhhh, time to eat crow, fellas!
Our wives are so much more to us. We found them (wives could say the same about their husbands) as the diamond in the rough. A rare treasure. A sparkling jewel. For God to bring this one true soul into your life is a precious gift from the Father. Nothing less. Scripture continues to tell us to love our wives as we love our own bodies; if we love our wife, we love ourselves. (Ephesians 5:28). I can clearly (and shamefully) say that those moments that I was not being loving to my wife, I was failing to love myself. I get more angered at myself and it pours out at those times. Not a blessed highlight of a husband. My wife has seen me at my best. She has also seen me more beat and broken down than any family or friend. She hasn't stopped loving me and supporting me because of it. She deserves nothing less. All of our wives deserve nothing less than our full love and support in them.
The bible gives us several more messages and guidance to being proper husbands. I have had to go back to those passages and re-enter them into my heart, when I fall short of what He expects of me, and what my wife should be able to expect out of me.
One of my favorite songs by Alabama, is called "The Maker Said Take Her". That line continues: "and love her forever. Take care of her for life and treat her right." Husbands, treat your wives right. Even when you royally screw up, show her that you love her, don't be afraid to apologize, and embrace her. Help her to feel like the treasured jewel that she is, sparkling in love and affection. Remember, she is a rare gift, not to be taken for granted.
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