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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

On Marriage, Love, and Respect

I love James.



Like…a lot.

I've said it before, he's a man of God. He works hard to provide for our family. He's generous, compassionate, and full of grace. I'm so blessed to be married to him.

But what I am most amazed by is his desire to make our marriage a priority.

Don't get me wrong here…we argue…we disagree…we bicker….and yes, we even fight {gasp}.

But we made a vow, a commitment to the Lord; to love, honor, and respect each other.
For better or worse.


I love this photo…look at him…he's so focused on the symbol of our future. 
And he looks happy.

The best wedding gift we received was this book.


The author speaks of the importance of love and respect in a marriage. 
A woman desires unconditional love from her husband. 
A man needs to feel respected from his wife.  

Think about it…
When you have argued with your spouse, did you feel loved? Did you show him that you respected him?
If you are anything like me,  you did not show him how much you respected him.

I cannot even begin to go through all of the details of this book with you. 
So I say buy it, get it from the library, or borrow it from a friend. 
Just read it. 
Read it together. 

Here are some of the practical ways I try to show James I respect him:
I listen to him. I hear what he says. 
I validate his opinion.
I listen to the desires of his heart, and I strive to make them my desires as well.
I trust him with financial decisions.
I trust him with family decisions.
I trust him with decisions about our faith.

Please don't get me wrong…I am not close to being perfect with these things. I fail daily at expressing how I much I respect him. 
But I know how important it is to him, and to our marriage.

He tries equally hard to show me how loved I am.
He wakes up with the boys, allowing me a few precious moments of sleep.
He listens to me whine about my day, without judgement.
He showers me with words of encouragement.

We made a commitment to make our marriage work. And this is a daily thing we must work on. 
I love him; he loves me, and we want to have a good marriage for our kids to see. 
I want them to have a strong marriage. 

That starts with us.



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5 comments:

Kelly said...

Oh my goodness your wedding photo is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Jenn @ My Not So Glamorous Life said...

Thank you for sharing :)It's nice to see another person who deems this matter so important. I think that mutual love and respect is something that is sorely lacking in a lot of marriages these days. My husband and I also make it our priority. We have a strong marriage, and we feel secure knowing that we are teaching and showing our children how to love and respect us, themselves, and their future spouses.

Erin said...

Sweet pictures, love your wedding dress.:) My husband and I are doing the video and workbook at home right now. Our pastors are good friends with their family. They have and share sooo much wisdom and insight!

rreynol3 said...

Sean and I are honored and blessed to know and learn from you marriage. You're a great mentor.

Indiskreet said...

Such a stunning wedding photo! You two are beautiful. May God continue to bless your marriage.