How I've Been a Hypocrite

My dear readers, I have a confession to make.

I've been quite a hypocrite this summer.

Here I've been writing all these posts about how to be a good, godly wife, what I've been learning about marriage, how to love my husband, the importance of really listening to him...

and I've messed up.  Big-time.

Let me set up the scenario for you:
Joshua and I have started reading The Lord of the Rings together.  He had already read The Fellowship of the Ring, and I read that and half of The Two Towers, but a long time ago.  So we read some chapters together, and I was reading a few on my own, to catch up and because bibliophile me can't really put a book down once I start reading it (and getting into it, which I definitely am with Lord of the Rings!).

Sunday night, my husband asked that I not start reading The Two Towers because he wanted us to read it entirely together.
By Monday morning, that request had slipped my mind, and yesterday I read the first two chapters.
Last night, my husband discovered this and was not happy.

You need to know a couple things about my Joshua:
1) He is an introvert.
2) His primary love-language is quality time.

I did not realize how much reading this book together meant to him.  I thought (forgetting that he asked me not to) that he wouldn't mind if I read a couple chapters.
It means a LOT to him, and he minded quite a bit.

Looong story short, we're all good now, I'm forgiven, I understand where I went wrong, everything is okay.

But I have some work to do.  Because my blunder led me to discover several very important things that I've been blind to all summer.

1) Neither my husband, nor I, have been content with the routine we've gotten into this summer:  Joshua comes home from work, he relaxes with some TV or computer time, I make supper, we eat, we watch a movie or both do things on the computer, we go to bed.
I realized why neither of us has been content with this routine.  Very little of it is about us being together.  Neither of us has liked this...but both of us assumed, wrongly, that the other one was content and/or not interested in doing anything together.  We both messed up on this...but now that we've realized it, we can work to right it.

2) I cannot assume things about my husband; I need to talk to him if I can't figure things out on my own.  (Because we all know what it means to assume...the person who pointed that out to me shall remain nameless.)

3) Sometimes the solution is staring me in the face, and is a lot simpler than I realize.
Togetherness.  That's all my husband wanted.  He doesn't want me to think up elaborate ideas for date nights.  He doesn't need me to write a list of twenty-five things we can do together.  He just wants me.  He wants my attention, my time, and my presence.

4) The things I think my husband wants and needs are not necessarily the things he really does want and need.
I figured that if I kept the house in order, fed him a nice supper, let him do his thing on the computer and TV, watched a movie with him, and had sex before we went to bed, that my husband would be happy.
Eating, rest, alone time and sex are all necessary...but they don't replace actually being together and giving my husband my full attention and self.  It doesn't work if I'm constantly thinking of other things I need to/should be doing, or if I spend the entire evening in the kitchen after he gets home.  He wants ME.  That's it.

5) This problem is fairly easy to fix if I a) get DONE with housework before Joshua gets home each day, b) keep chore-doing to a minimum in the evenings when he is home and c) be intentional and put time together in our schedule.  As soon as this post is written I'm going to write, in ink, on the calendar, "DATE NIGHT" at least every three weeks.  And nothing, absolutely nothing, will mess with those nights.

6) I realized last night how much I really mean to my husband.  That was huge.  It's good to know how much he appreciates the meals I make or that I keep the house in order...but knowing he just wants me??  That made me feel so treasured and loved.  And it made me resolve to make HIM feel the same way, by focusing more on him.

It's horrible when it takes a bad thing to wake me up to more bad things I've been doing...but the result of all this is that I think things in our marriage are really going to change for the better.  I can't believe how blind and stupid I've been all summer....but THANK GOD for the forgiveness which he has given me and which he has enabled my husband to give me.

Once again, it's Romans 8:28 in action.  God uses ALL things, even our silly, selfish sins, to work for our good.  I'm praying that he will enable me to be a much more selfless, loving, and attentive wife, and that our marriage will continue to grow, mature, and become more joy-filled every day.

And I'm sorry for being such a hypocrite!


Linking up today...
Cornerstone Confessions; Far Above Rubies; Growing Home; Thankful Homemaker; Time-Warp Wife; Lessons from Ivy

When You Don't Feel Beautiful

Physical beauty is pleasant to have.

We all like to have good hair days, clear skin, white (or mostly white) teeth, and flawless makeup, with our clothes fitting just right and flattering our bodies.

However, if you've read 1 Peter, chapter 3, you know that physical beauty isn't everything.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:3-4

We all desire that kind of inner beauty.  But what about the times when you feel like you don't have even that kind of beauty?  When "a gentle and quiet spirit" is the last way you would describe your inner self?

Well...
That kind of beauty does not come from you.
It comes from within, yes... but from a source that is not you at all.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" 1 Corinthians 6:19

Your inner beauty comes from the Holy Spirit, because as you are a saved and forgiven child of God, the Holy Spirit lives in you.

"For the fruit of the Spirit is love, you, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-25

Yes, we sin every day.
But by the grace of God, the Holy Spirit enables us to obey, please and honor God in our words, thoughts and actions--and God forgives us when we do fail.

It is God who makes us beautiful...inside and out.


Linking up with thanks:
Growing Home; Time-Warp Wife; Call Me Blessed; Cornerstone Confessions; Lessons from Ivy

How to be a Titus 2 Mentor

I'm guest posting over at New Life Steward for Mary Beth today!

(Remember, she posted here last week about cultivating your marriage after a baby?)

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As bloggers, our sphere of influence is much wider than just the people we meet in person every day.  Our words enter the homes and hearts of hundreds and even thousands of people each day.  Mary Beth asked me to answer the question, “How can older women bless younger women through their blogs?”

I’m one of those younger women.  I’m twenty-one and I have been married for just over a year.  I have learned a lot in the last year, but there is so much more I don’t know.

Those of you who have more life experience than I, and others like me, have so much to share with us!  We younger women desire your teaching, advice, and encouragement.  You are a blessing to us.

So, here are a few ways, applicable to blogging and in some cases to your real-life relationships, that Experienced Women Can Bless Those of Us Who are Younger...

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Head on over to New Life Steward to read the rest!

Linking up today:  Far Above Rubies; Growing Home; Cornerstone Confessions; Lessons from Ivy; Time-Warp Wife