Moms, do not forget to be a wife too!

Proverbs 12:4

“A hearty wife invigorates her husband, but a frigid woman is cancer in the bones.”

The Message

My heart is hurting this week from all the stories I have heard about struggling marriages. Now, I am no expert, I have only been married 2 years. Which makes it that much worse when I can recall 4 close friends of mine under the age of 24 that have already gotten a divorce. Two of those couples had children. Marriage is hard, but when I became a mom I realized just how hard it is to keep my marriage nourished. Children have immediate needs that have to be met. A baby cannot take care of herself! My first thought when I wake up is my daughter. Why? Because she is my alarm clock. Her voice is the first thing I hear! It’s so easy to forget my husband’s needs. I’m not talking about having dinner ready as soon as he gets home or doing his laundry (in fact, my husband does most of the cooking in my house). I’m talking about putting energy into being a wife above being a mom. Most of us wouldn’t even be moms without first being wives, so why do we let our marriage sit on the backburner many days?

A few days ago I asked Nate, my husband, what things do I do to meet his needs. He told me that I always listen fully when he talks. He said that when he’s really upset, he calls me because he knows that I can calm him down. He said that I make him laugh. Small things, but they mean a lot to him. Sometimes it is hard. Last week, Nate locked himself out of the house when I was out of town. So what did he do? He kicked down our door. When he first called to tell me, I was so mad since that is an expense we do not need. But I could tell that he was a lot more mad at himself than anything. So I bit my tongue and said that it could be worse than a broken door…he could have a broken head from a car accident and I would much rather replace the door. That made him laugh and he calmed down. I had to decide that this small battle was not worth arguing about.

I believe that strong marriages mean strong parents. We cannot always control what our husbands do to strengthen our marriage, but we can do our best to be the wife in Proverbs 12 that “invigorates her husband”. One of the most loving acts is praying for him. In the book, “The Power of a Praying Wife” by Stormie Omartian, there are 30 different areas of prayer that she leads women through. I will often ask Nate to look over the areas of prayer and ask him to pick 2 that he really wants me to pray through that week.

So, moms, I encourage you to be hearty in your marriage. Read Song of Solomon and remind yourself of the romance that was divinely inspired to be a part of Scripture! Give your husbands big greetings when they get home. When you are working with your kids on a fun, creative project, ask yourself what is a fun, creative thing you can do with your husband. This marriage is practice for when we are the bride of Christ! Let’s give it our very best.

The Power of a Praying Wife By Stormie Omartian / Harvest House Publishers Bestselling author Stormie Omartian inspires women to develop a deeper relationship with their husbands by praying for them. The Power of a Praying Wife---now with a fresh new cover design--- is packed with practical advice on praying for specific areas of a husband's life including his decision-making, fears, spiritual strength, role as father and leader, and his faith and future. Every woman who desires a closer relationship with her husband will appreciate the life illustrations, select Scripture verses, and the assurances of God's promises and power for their marriage.