Lately I have had such a burden for marriages.

I don’t think the word “marriage” has the same meaning as it did 40-50 years ago. Back then it meant ..we are in it to win it! Now..not so much!

I have a few friends who come to talk to me on a regular basis upset about the direction their marriage is going…or not going.
I did a series on my blog about Marriage and how we can challenge ourselves to help our husbands.

I am definitely not an expert on this topic..I have only been doing this for five years..some of you have way more experience than I do..but what I do know is and I think we all can agree on is…It takes work!

If anyone tells you that marriage is easy…they are LYING! Flat out lying!
It isn’t easy..It is hard…It is humbling.. but it is worth it!

I love talking about my marriage..It isn’t great all the time.. but sometimes in those not great moments is when we are drawing closer to one another without even knowing it. Sometimes in those not great moments we are learning more about each other than we ever could just sitting and chatting small talk. Those not great moments…are rough…real…and raw….but they happen. They happen to every marriage. Expect them! But when they do happen..Notice them..and get the most out of them. Keep your cool! Love your spouse…and learn about them.

In my church we have a Young Married’s Sunday School Class that I absolutely love! It has great conversation because we get both sides to every topic we discuss. Taking out the trash is always a heated topic! A few weeks ago we talked about what husband’s wished their wives knew about them. I wrote these down since my husband is out-of-town so I can discuss them with him later..so I thought I would share those here with my AWB girlies and see how many you think are true or that you/your husband can relate to.

*Respect is KEY!
That word gets thrown around my house ALL the time! If your husband doesn’t feel respected..He doesn’t feel loved. Now all the times my husband told me that I wasn’t respecting him.he was actually telling me that he doesn’t feel loved by me. Ouch! I do love him..alot; but in a man’s world respect = love.

*Most men (at least in my Sunday School class) said they were insecure
What? No way! That is exactly what I was thinking! There is no way my husband is insecure..He is always telling me how good he looks..and how lucky I am! Ha Ha! I agree with him..but insecurity isn’t a problem for him. When in reality..what the husbands’ said is that they feel insecure about being a good husband..being enough of a provider for his family. What this tells me is that men need encouragement too! A simple “Thank you sweetie for working to provide for our family” can go a long way! Affirmation that they are doing a good job in their role as your husband will defuse any argument that comes your way! Who can argue with someone who gives you a compliment!? It will also effect other areas of his life. If you tell him how thankful you are that he works to provide for you he will have a sense of pride for his work and end up enjoying it a little more than normal.

*Husbands want to be desired.
This was a funny topic..because every one of the husbands said they would like to be told that they look nice on “date night” every once in a while. I have to admit..My husband tells me I am beautiful all the time..but I can’t remember the last time I told him that he looked nice. I personally didn’t think guys cared about how they looked or what we thought about their image. My husband can stay in the woods for 15 hours a day smelling like doe urine with a smile on his face..but when he gets out of camo and puts on cologne he wants to be noticed just like I do.

*Husbands want to be romantic but doubt their abilities.
I can see why? Have you seen any Nicholas Sparks movies? Look at what they have to live up to! When your husband does something sweet for you whether it be a card or a sweet text..tell him that it is romantic and you appreciate it. The more encouragement they get from you..the more confident they will be in their romantic abilities which in turns gets YOU more romance! Great cycle don’t you think? Husbands want us to know that they love us..but let’s be real..He can’t be the Bachelor and take you to Tahiti for dinner on Tuesday evening.

Men and Women are complete opposites! How any of us can come together with the opposite sex and live under the same roof without killing each other is beyond me..but somehow we do! Even though men call us women complicated..obviously they have their own complications too!

I have been so honored to be your blogger of the month of February … I look forward to getting to know more of you and hopefully seeing you all the AWB conference this year!! I love my husband with everything I am..but a little time away never hurt anyone!