Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

14 Ways to Love Your Husband – Part 2

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Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it. I’m sharing some hints on loving your husband. The list is endless, so I’ve narrowed it down to fourteen. You can read the first four here.

Prayer
Prayer and respect should always be at the top of your list of ways to love your husband. Lift him up in prayer. His spirit needs reviving as much as anyone’s. Ask him how you can pray for him. Then do it. Right then (I’m sorely lacking in the pray for him now category!). Pray for strength as he leads your family. Pray for his spiritual growth. Pray that he would be a man after God’s own heart.

Hold Hands

Forgive
Let’s face it. Guys sometimes don’t think like we do. My sweet husband was concerned about weight I had gained several years back – and rightly so! It was more than I had ever weighed in my life. However, when he was talking with me about it, he used the “O” word – obesity. Now, before you get your feathers in a ruffle, he DID NOT say I was obese. He was just concerned that I was headed in that direction. But, bless his heart, you just don’t use that word when you are talking to a woman about her weight. I don’t think I spoke to him for two days. TWO DAYS. Two days out of our lives that were wasted, because I didn’t have the sense and maturity to forgive him. Ladies, please don’t ever waste precious time away from your husband like I did. Forgive him. “…love keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:5

Love Notes

Home Castle
Make your home a safe haven for you hubby. Make it a peaceful place for him. John travels quite a bit. When he’s gone, I don’t cook, do laundry or dishes. But when he walks through the door, I try to make sure all the mess is picked up (not tonight, I’m writing tonight). Ok, I’m not as good at this as I use to be. I’ve relaxed a lot in my old age. But I do try to be his helpmate. I know he’ll be tired when he comes home, so if necessary I take care of chores that he usually does. Yes, like take the trash out and put a fresh 5 gallon water bottle on the cooler (Heavy!). Make your home a peaceful, loving place. He’ll look forward to arriving at his castle each evening!

Join me next week for four more ways to love your husband!

 

Linking up today with these lovely writers:

Barbie at The Weekend Brew

Kelly at Purposeful Faith

Holly at Testimony Tuesday

Janis at Sunday Stillness

Holly at Coffee for Your Heart

What a Friend!

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It was a comfortable silence. He was looking at something on the iPad, I was reading a book. From time to time we would look up and smile at each other.

After several nights of this, I realized something: We’re not talking. We’re not sharing. I’m not sharing my life with him. My husband. My best friend. I didn’t exclude him on purpose. We had just become very comfortable with each other. Like two old friends sharing a bench.

And that’s a good thing! We’re at home and relaxed with one another. But we also have to be careful not to take things for granted. Not to become TOO comfortable. Ever so slowly a distance can creep in. Our relationship can become three miles wide, and two inches deep. No depth, no substance. Kind of like the relationship I have with 400 of my closest friends on Facebook!

That isn’t the type of connection John and I want with each other. We want depth. To have that, we need to be deliberate in cultivating a stronger, deeper relationship.

I want the same thing with Christ. Deepness. And I need to be intentional about it. If I’m not careful, I can take this very important relationship for granted. I can become too comfortable during my prayer times with Him. This relationship with Christ – above all others – needs to move from shallow to deep. And then deeper still.

And so, just like in my marriage, I began to make adjustments. I began conversations. I tell Him about my day, my deepest feelings gushing out. I read His word, slowly dwelling on passages that speak to me.

I stop and listen to Him. I pour over the scriptures, careful to pause if a verse catches my attention. And then I read the passage again, slowly, letting it sink deep into my heart. And then I ask questions.

“Why, Lord? Why should I care what this scripture says? What does it have to do with me, today, 2,000 years after it was written? Why does this matter? What are You saying, Lord? Is this something I need to apply to my life? Is there a change I need to make?”

I love the questions. But more than that, I love when God answers them!

“Ellen, that scripture was written so that you can know the lengths I will go for a relationship with you. So that you know I love you and will pursue you. So that you can share with others how deep my love is for my people.”

The conversation becomes an intimate two way dialog. Comfortable, with depth.

Are you intentional about your relationship with Jesus? Are you cultivating the depths of His friendship?

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
John 15:15 (NLT)

Lord, how thankful I am that You count us as friends, that we can bring anything to You in prayer. Yes, indeed, what a privilege! Thank you for being such a personal God – You listen and hear our prayers. In Jesus powerful name, Amen.

Until next week,

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Linking up this week with these lovely writers:
Barbie at The Weekend Brew

Kelly at Purposeful Faith

Holly at Testimony Tuesday

Janis at Sunday Stillness

Jennifer Dukes Lee at Tell His Story