The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.~Proverbs 31:11-12
When our husband’s come home from a long, hard day at work, what are they expecting? Is it what they find when they get home?
Preparing a Welcome Mat of Love:
I try to practice self-control and function in the wisdom God gave me (Prov 14:1), by going to bed early so I can rise early to have my praise and quiet time with God. If my heart and mind are not set on my First Love — the Lord Jesus Christ, then my attitude towards my Second Love — my darling husband, will not be of the Spirit, but of my flesh (Psalm 92:1-2, Gal 5:24-25).
After my time with God, I make my husband his lunch and include a “lovie note” expressing my gratitude for his faithfulness to Christ, our family, and country. I don’t preach to him in my notes (anymore), but rather try to encourage him by sharing any evidences of God’s grace I see in his life.
I daily pray that God grant my Darling the wisdom he needs to do his job with excellence and bless all the work of his hands, so that he might bear much fruit in the name of Jesus, just like Joseph (Gen 39:5, Matt 5:16).
Irresistible Haven for Daddy:
My Sweetheart loves seeing our children at the table, eating a healthy meal while I feed them the word of God during our breakfast devotional. We started this when our oldest son was 2. Our boys are now 18 (Freshman in College) and 16 (Junior in High School) and they both still love our breakfast devotionals. We are blessed.
Below are some of the things I did when our sons were younger:
- Have the house picked up (maybe not magazine-cover perfect, but in order, and clean). There’s nothing like a cluttered and disheveled home that makes a man feel burdened and unsettled, unimportant and unappreciated.
- Got all my housework, volunteer work, errands, etc. done before I picked up the boys from school so they could have my undivided attention. I made them snacks, snuggled, listened to them about their day, and helped with their homework if necessary. I did anything I could to bring them peace, so they would be prepared to serve Daddy rather than seek to be served (Mark 10:44-45).
- Brushed my hair and touch up my makeup before my Darling got home. I’d also have a hot meal prepared to be served 30 minutes after he arrived home so he could unwind (per his request).
The goal is to set an atmosphere of peace, joy and warmth for our husbands. And this cannot be done without keeping our First Love in full focus, not only for ourselves, but also for our children.
Training children to love and respect their Daddy:
We taught our boys the Scriptures that spoke of revering and honoring their father (Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Proverbs 1:8-9, Proverbs 3:1-12, Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 23:24-25, Proverbs 28:7).
When my Honey gets home, I offer him a beverage, the kids take his lunch bag and anything else they can help him carry. I take off his shoes and socks and massage his feet for a few minutes as he tells me about his day. We put him in a recliner and I make the final touches to our dinner.
The kids ask Daddy how his day was before anyone shares theirs. After dinner, my Sweetheart leads our evening devotional by reading to us and opening up discussions based on Scriptures that help us know God more so we can love Him better.
Our sons do the dishes, wipe down the table and counters so my husband and I can relax and spend some time talking. I usually use this time to get out the massage oil and give him a hand and/or foot massage (depending on his preference).
Today’s Challenge:Memorize Psalm 19:14 and 139:23-24, then find one thing in this article that you are not doing and do it this week to honor Christ, your First Love, so you can joyfully serve your Second. |
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Today’s Challenger:
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