Hand in Hand
(C) Reflections of Grace Photography
It has been over 11 years since I first put my hand into the hand of my husband, pledging to walk where God would lead both of us. We have walked through valleys of loss together and come out on the other side, together.
We have lost a child, a parent, and a business, but during that same time we have been blessed to welcome two children, see new beginnings, and help each other stand up and keep walking when life seems to throw everything at us, trying to keep us down.
I know that with God’s help and protection, we will continue to walk this path of life together as long as we have each other.
I know that I don’t take my husband for granted. What a precious gift he is to me and every day together is such a special gift.
I am living the dream of being a wife and momma – the dream I had since I was a little girl. Sometimes I find that very hard to believe.
I want to think that I make our marriage a priority above everything else, put his feelings and needs first, make each day count, and see to it that I am intentionally building my marriage.
Many days, I think I am falling short, far short, of what I *want* to be for my husband.
Even though I do my best, I want to *be* the best for him.
Each week in 2013, I will be seeking God to know how HE wants me to live out the calling
to be a woman of Grace and Love - – -
as a wife, as a mother, as a woman on the journey.
I am so thankful for the wealth of encouragement and help we have to become Godly wives, mothers, and homemakers at our very fingertips. I have a feeling that what I share tonight won’t be something new to our readers here; in writing this I wonder what I may be able to add to the marriage conversation in the blogosphere.
I want you to know that I am writing tonight to simply share my thoughts and feelings with you as I share how God is working in my life in this area in my marriage and in my home.
One of my favorite quotes about marriage comes from Martin Luther:
Let the wife make the husband glad to come home,
and let him make her sorry to see him leave.
This quote brings to mind the verses found in Ephesians 5 that discuss the needs and responsibilities of the husband to the wife and the wife to the husband. We have learned from many sources that the husband has a deep need to feel respected and appreciated by his wife and the wife needs to feel cherished and cared for by her husband.
In bringing this into the real world, in reflecting on the words of Luther, how can I as a wife make my husband glad to come home to me? Well, I can think of many different ways that I can be a welcoming and loving wife, but there is one area in particular that I will share with you that I feel called to work on over the next week.
I want to make my master bedroom a lovely place, a haven, a retreat for us, to share together.
Sounds like a simple thing perhaps, and there may be many of you reading this shaking your heads and wondering how this could be a real world example of how a wife of 11+ years could try and make home a more welcoming and lovely place for my husband.
Life gets busy, boxes of stuff get shifted around, and sadly, many times my bedroom has been the place to put things that have no other place to go. I spend the day working in other parts of the house and by the time I come to my bedroom, it’s time to fall into bed too tired to face that task!
No, I won’t share before and after pictures, but I will say that my room doesn’t feel like a haven to me, so I know it doesn’t to my hubby either. We have worked hard to make the rest of the house comfortable and uncluttered since we moved into this house, but the master bedroom and bathroom has been sorely neglected! I won’t say that the state of my bedroom reflects the priority I put on my marriage or the state of it’s health, but I aim to make it reflect how much I value our marriage and time together – - – so the boxes and clutter must go!
Not my room yet, but such a beautiful, inspiring picture!
Did I lose anyone? I hope not, and I also hope that for any women reading this article, single or married, that felt a tugging in your heart to make your master bedroom reflect beauty and serenity, that you will decide to follow God’s leading in this area for you and join me in working on making our bedrooms a welcoming place,
If you plan to join me, please leave a comment, letting me know how you plan to make your bedroom a haven of Grace and Love, a place our husbands will not want to leave.
Don’t miss a single post! Take a moment to sign up for the free updates through your E-Reader or in your email. And be sure to join the Unwrapping His Grace Facebook Community where you will find daily updates, Scripture, encouragement and opportunities to share prayer requests or follow us on Twitter!
God bless you as you seek to bless others through His Grace, starting with His man for you,
Gina Marie
Gathering with Make your Home Sing over on Mom’s the Word I love to hear
