Anytime you enter into a relationship with another person things can get a little complicated and rough at times. Building a strong marriage does not happen in one day but instead one day at a time. Some days are hard and other days are not so hard. There are two little things that you can do each day that add up to be BIG things in order to strengthen and improve your marriage.
Husbands, Love Your Wife
Women love love. There is a reason why Hallmark and other producers of romantic movies have done so well; women love love. A wife wants to feel loved by their husband. This may mean telling her you love her, showing her you love her by helping her or doing something for her, giving her things to show you are thinking about her, or by giving her the time and attention she desires from you. Listen to what she has said about what she needs from you and then do it to show you love her.
Wives, Respect Your Husband
Women, your husband needs you to respect him. Men have an innate desire to work, provide, protect, and lead. As wives, we must recognize how our husband is trying to do these things and show that we appreciate the hard work and dedication he is putting into those tasks for our families. When I looked up the definition of “respect” in the dictionary it said, “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.” I can imagine when you were dating or were engaged, you respected your boyfriend/fiancé. You admired him for his qualities and the things he was doing. But somewhere along the way, we sometimes forget that a man needs to hear that we admire those things and respect him for what he does.
For more information on how to show love and respect in your marriage, the following books are great resources:
“Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
“Love is a Verb: Stories of What Happens when Love Comes Alive” by Gary Chapman
“The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman
