Day7: A Job Well Done!

In the Bible, Proverbs 31 explains the ways of a Virtuous Wife. The passage details the life of a wife and mother. Today I want to concentrate on the end of the passage where it says, "Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise:"Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!"

In the ups and downs of marriage there are times when we feel like we get the praise we deserve and others where it seems like everyone's "give a damn" is broken. As wives, it's particularly important to us to feel like our husbands see what we've done and that they verbalize that admiration. When they do this it translates to LOVE in our minds. When they fail to tell us that we've done a good job we can internalize that silence and begin to wonder if they care, if we've done enough, if we are loved and appreciated.

Today's challenge has two parts:

* Think of times when your husband has praised you for the work you've done. Does he come right out and say "honey, you've done a great job!" Or is an unspoken appreciation? For example, I know that my husband appreciates me and the work I do for our family because he is unwaveringly okay with my attending events outside the home without him or the children. I have a group of women with on Saturday mornings for coffee and knitting - he has never batted an eye at me going. I want you to write these things down. There will be times that you walk through dark valleys and it will be beneficial for you to have this reflect on.

* Next, if you are in one of those valleys where you feel like you don't get the recognition you deserve I challenge you to talk to your husband about it. I warn, DO NOT be accusatory and defensive. Come to him with love and kindness. Verbalize your need for recognition for a job well done. If you don't feel you can rationally talk to him about these things - come back to this later when you feel like you can.

Ladies, a lot of times we think that men should just know how we feel or what we're thinking. The truth is, they don't. They aren't mind readers and they don't always know what we need without telling them. No matter what, though, you must come to him with love, kindness, and respect.

Love, Andrea