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It is with a humble heart that I write today. I pray for my husband regularly but there was a time I did not. I spent hours fussing at him and about him....hours lamenting how stupid he was and how smart I was (so obviously delusional). I spent hours wondering how in the world I ended up with a man who so obviously did not deserve me (ouch ouch ouch) and I spent about 20 minutes a week praying about him. I use the words about him because it was not really for him. I knew exactly what he needed....after all I was the one patiently enduring all his issues (I had none) and I knew what needed to be changed. So I spent time telling God how to change this amazing man created by an amazing God. I spent time griping to God and anybody who would listen about how GOD needed to fix him. I requested prayer that listed the faults I wanted others to pray about in Cliff. Sadly...very few Christian women ever told me to shut up and be thankful. They understood I needed to vent (oh brother...too bad vent means gossip). So we stayed married in self-righteous robes with me playing the martyr and no joy to be found. All this time this man I was bashing in my life and prayers was faithfully providing...faithfully protecting...faithfully loving me. And then a dear 80 year old friend who truly loved me called me on the carpet and offered to help me pray for my husband. What a life changing...God amazing moment....we began to seek God hard...not for my marriage....not for all of my husband's faults (real and imagined) but for God to change me. Oh man...a new world opened up...joy..compassion...mercy opened to me and starting to breathe through me. My husband began to walk around in a daze. He could not figure out where his nag had gone and who was this wildly loving woman he was coming home to. Without me praying about one of his faults...without me blaming him or requiring him to change anything...God began to change the heart of My husband and to turn it towards me in trust and passion and love. Life has never been the same.  We still struggle. We still yell (well I yell...Cliff folds his arms and rolls his eyes) but now we both pray and seek forgiveness for our own hearts. Brand new joyful place to live....yaaaaaaa for Jesus and my dear friend Juanita Parkhill who loved me enough to correct me and teach me. I would like to pass that on. Ladies please pray for your husbands with hearts turned toward Jesus and full of understanding that change begins with you. Juanita gave me a book that taught me how to do this called The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. There is also a resource on www.ReviveYourHeart.com that is so helpful and practical called "31 days of praying for your spouse."

 

I pray God continue to grow you as the helpmates He created you to be.