Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
Proverbs 31:28-29
Passage to Read:
The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance--the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cutg of your clothes--but your inner disposition.
1 Peter 3:1-4 Message
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I want to be a good wife to my husband. I want to be responsive to his needs. I hope that by my life he is drawn into a relationship with you. I do not want to nag, or complain, or any way block what you might be working in his heart. Help me to keep my inner disposition pleasing and not concentrate on outward appearances. I know that he is the man that you placed in my life to be my husband. Therefore, help me to treat him in a manner that is pleasing to you. Holy Spirit transform me into a woman with a beautiful disposition. I want to be pleasant to be around, a constant source of joy to my husband. Thank you Lord for giving the supernatural power of God. I know that with your help, I can become a wife of noble character. Amen.
Personal:
In today's lesson Donna first talks about how hard it is to be a good wife. She also shared about her father's love for her mother. Which was somewhat an ideal. She then gives us two lists.
Here they are:
"Almost all men life:
- to come home each day to a well-organized home (he does not leave home daily)*
- to live in a nurturing environment, where people feel loved and accepted*
- to be respected*
- to feel appreciated*
- to enjoy a healthy physical relationship*
- to received encouragement
- a cheerful wife
- to hear gratitude expressed
- to have children who are well cared for (no children in our home)
- the security of a regular family routine, so they know what to expect.
Almost all men dislike:
- to feel disrespected
- listening to complaints x
- the sound of nagging
- a woman who uses hurt as a weapon
- being verbally abused
- putting up with mood swings x
- a woman who constantly needs validation
- a woman who takes things too personally x (at time)
- a wife who is unable to forgive and forget"
Next she instructs us to "read over the two lists several time. Pray over them. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak the truth to you about how difficult or easy it is to live with you. Put an a asterisk next to items in the first category that you are doing right. Then put an X next to the items in the second category that you struggle with." Next she instructs us to ask our husbands which ones we are doing well and which ones he wants to make improvements on. She also tells us to apply the 80/20 rule. We are to ask our husbands which two items on the "Like" list he would like us to make improvements and which two items on the "Dislike" list would have the most impact if you made improvements. Then focus on this 20 percent. (Then once you've mastered those areas, he can pick another two on each list). Remember this is a 90-day Jumpstart and we are not going to become perfect or make dramatic improvement. The idea is to work on becoming closer to this ideal. I did ask my husband and he agreed with me except that he does think at times I nag.
Affirmation: I am becoming the wife God wants me to be.
Practical:
"Prayerfully evaluate how well you are doing in terms of what men like and dislike about wives. Ask your husband to evaluate you, too. Then, most important, ask the Holy Spirit to help you close the gap between where you are now and where God is calling you to be.
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