Dogs are incredibly faithful! You just have to love them for their delight in you. It can’t help but bring a smile to your face. When you arrive at your home after a long day, they can’t contain their excitement. For that matter, you can be gone for only 5 minutes and the response is still the same! They are very glad to see you – no matter what. Why? All you do is pet the dog occasionally, feed the dog regularly, but other than that you don’t give the dog much more. Why do dogs still get so excited to see you? ANSWER: because they aren’t human!
In our marriages we want, we long for; we yearn to have our spouse have this same excitement because we simply show up! Basically, we expect our spouses to behave like dogs – full of excitement simply because we are who we are. But there is a problem! Our spouse doesn’t ‘wag’ his/her tail when they see us after we’ve been gone. Why doesn’t he/she wag her tail after we’ve been gone? ANSWER: because he/she is NOT a dog!
So how can I build a home where it seems like my spouse loves me as much as my dog if not more? I promise you it won’t happen if you treat your spouse like a dog and simply feed him/her and pet him/her occasionally. It requires a commitment to doing and becoming what your spouse needs you to be. Husbands, for us, it is being the one who treats our wives with an enduring unconditional love. It is the main ingredient that most wives need in order to thrive in a relationship. Wives, for all of you, it is being the ones who treat your husband with unconditional respect. This is the main ingredient that most husbands need in order to thrive in a relationship. The Bible commands that the wife respect her husband and for the husband to love the wife. (See Ephesians 5:33)
For more information on this idea check out “Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs or better yet, why not come and grow in your marriage with us at First Christian Church!
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