Your Husband

Dear Moms,

Everyone knows that if you are to have a balanced life your husband has to come first, next to God, of course. If you are a single parent, my hat is off to you. God promises in His word that He would take care of widows and orphans. He will indeed be your husband as you depend totally on Him. However, for those of us who are married, I have some advice for you. In my dental office there is a plaque that reads, "Ignore your teeth and they will go away." Think about this, ignore your husband and he will go away, as well. Most people who are divorced will say, “WE JUST GREW APART.” Ladies, marriage is one of those parts of your life that you have to work on daily. Then, you grow together and not apart. My husband and I teach Engaged weekend at our Catholic church for those couples seeking to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. We teach and we believe in the fact that the couple comes ahead of the children, the home, the friend, the outside activities, yes, even ahead of yourself. This is easier said then done, so here are some practical tips, tried and true:
1. Communicate daily--heart-to-heart.
2. Have a date weekly.
3. Pray together daily.
4. Work out conflicts quickly.
5. Always be the first to say, “ I’m sorry.”
6. Honor one another and defer to one another.
7. Say “I LOVE YOU” often.
8. Start the day by asking your husband if there is anything that you can do for him and do that first.
9. Thank each other even for the little things.
10. Reverence and respect your husband.

Every day when I look at my husband, I think of all we have been through, the good times as well as the bad. How we’ve been together in sickness and in health. How God has made us one physically and mentally, as well as spiritually. How we have birthed babies, as well as buried a baby together. We’ve done all this hand and hand, as we have walked the path that God has chosen for us. It helps that Patrick, my husband, looks like George Clooney, but even if he didn’t, I am committed til death do us part. Yes, when I said my marriage vows, even if I was only twenty years old at the time, I meant them. As Ed, a friend of Pat’s family who married us said when speaking about the vows, “THEY TOOK.” How about you? Are you putting your marriage first after you relationship to God, or has something else taken that place in your heart? Ladies, when you stand before God, He’s not going to ask how many souls you saved or even how clean was you house, but rather how did you live out your vocation of marriage. "This is my commandment that you love one another that your joy may be full," are the words of an old song. It should be our marriage theme song. Start today to live the marriage covenant lovingly. God’s plan always works best. Marriage was His idea in the first place. Go back and read Genesis 1.

What do you think? Leave a comment or ask a question.
ELLEN