Anne Abernathy on our relationship with our husbands

From our January meeting:

Anne spoke of love and respect. She referred to Titus 2, where the Bible exhorts older women to teach younger women to:

• love their husbands
• love their children
• be sensible
• be pure
• be kind
• be subject to their own husbands

Only God can fulfill us, so we need to stop placing that expectation on our husbands!

She encouraged us to study our man and know him. What are his likes/dislikes? What are his needs and wants? What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Men, in general:

• are focused and compartmentalized
• need time alone
• are more sensitive than we realize (especially to criticism)
• want to be our knight in shining armor (Anne advises not telling him what to do, but rather to say, "I really need you...could you please...?")
• need their wives to pray for them
• are not as connected to friends and other people as women are

Good marriages don't just happen; we must PLAN!

• Go to bed at the same time
• Don't put sexual issues on the back burner
• Make time together and be aware of times we can bless our husbands
• Greet him when he comes home. Clean up the kids, straighten up the house, smile when he walks through the door

From Emerson Eckridge's book, "Love and Respect":

Women need love. Men need respect. If women withhold respect from their husbands, husbands in turn withhold love from their wives. Likewise, if men withhold love from their wives, wives in turn withhold respect from their husbands. On the other hand, if wives show respect to their husbands, husbands return with love. If husbands show love to their wives, women respond with respect. Someone has to set the cycle in motion the positive way! Respect your husband and he will show you the love you desire.

Thanks for speaking, Anne!