" . . . the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping," (Proverbs 19:13b NASB).
The word contention is synonymous with quarrel, strife, dispute, and argument, all of which are negative words.
Have you ever had a dripping faucet in your house? My kitchen faucet is doing that now. And it inevitably ends up dripping into a partially filled dish in the sink.
Poink, poink, poink. So annoying.
I hate being compared to a dripping faucet. How about you?
Where are the scriptures that tell husbands not to yell at their wives? Or not to treat them as though the job they do in the home doesn’t matter as much as theirs because they don’t make tangible dollars for homemaking?
Wait. There aren’t any scriptures like that. (At least not in the book of Proverbs.)
But there is this command:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” (Ephesians 5:25 NASB).
That’s a tall order.
But what if your husband doesn’t love you like that? What if you don’t feel loved at all? What if you feel trampled? Disregarded?
What then?
I can sense many women holding their breath while reading this, waiting to hear some incredible revelation. Sorry to disappoint you. I have none.
What I do have is this—hope in a God who knows me more intimately than I know myself. He knows what I need, and He knows that a mere man cannot meet that need.
Jesus, the lover of my soul, is the only One who can.
And the main reason we look to our husbands to meet that deep need is because—if we are honest with ourselves—we compare him to other husbands.
Comparison breeds dissatisfaction and negative feelings. It destroys intimacy. It makes you want to run your mouth. It turns on the dripping faucet full bore, and the next thing you know you’ve created a chasm between you and your husband.
It’s so important to keep your mouth shut, if all you can do is criticize or nag. I’ve experienced the amazing change that can happen in your marriage when you stop playing “Holy Spirit Jr.” with your husband.
Like Amy @ Out On A Limb said today, maybe you can’t find something nice to say to him. I know it is hard when you are hurting. I’ve been there.
Start small. And pray, earnestly. God will hear.
He makes all things new.
And He will fix your dripping faucet in the process, too.
Linking up with others at:
But what if your husband doesn’t love you like that? What if you don’t feel loved at all? What if you feel trampled? Disregarded?
What then?
I can sense many women holding their breath while reading this, waiting to hear some incredible revelation. Sorry to disappoint you. I have none.
What I do have is this—hope in a God who knows me more intimately than I know myself. He knows what I need, and He knows that a mere man cannot meet that need.
Jesus, the lover of my soul, is the only One who can.
And the main reason we look to our husbands to meet that deep need is because—if we are honest with ourselves—we compare him to other husbands.
Comparison breeds dissatisfaction and negative feelings. It destroys intimacy. It makes you want to run your mouth. It turns on the dripping faucet full bore, and the next thing you know you’ve created a chasm between you and your husband.
It’s so important to keep your mouth shut, if all you can do is criticize or nag. I’ve experienced the amazing change that can happen in your marriage when you stop playing “Holy Spirit Jr.” with your husband.
Like Amy @ Out On A Limb said today, maybe you can’t find something nice to say to him. I know it is hard when you are hurting. I’ve been there.
Start small. And pray, earnestly. God will hear.
He makes all things new.
And He will fix your dripping faucet in the process, too.
Linking up with others at:
Good word Selena! Very true! I'm finding also with my preteen son now, if I'm disciplining and talking too much, he tunes me out, whereas if I state the issue briefly and give discipline, he seems to learn more and the tension is not as bad.
ReplyDeleteawesome post Selena--and so true--thanks for speaking truth about the truth--and that is--it is hard to be a wife in situations such as stated above. yet, the word gives hope in Christ alone--doing our part and praying God will do the rest. I often KNOW THIS IN MY HEAD--yet the advice i want to give to my friends experiencing such things in their marriage is worldly. good reminder to me to speak truth even when the truth is tough to swallow.
ReplyDeletegood comments too maria!