Joy to the World...

Being joyful is a choice.

I know I have said it before, but I think it needs to be said again, even if only to remind myself.

Thankfulness is at the heart of joyfulness.

Are you joyful, regardless of your husband's decisions?

Are you thankful, regardless of your husband's decisions?

You don't know what God's plans are.

Perhaps God knows that you will need the extra money and has put into your husband's heart to pick up some extra shifts at work.

Maybe He knows that, although your husband has spent ample amounts of money on his hobby, it is an outlet for him, and allowing him to be pleasant with you and the children.

Maybe your husband has made some poor decisions, but God is teaching him so that he will not make a bigger mistake later on.

No matter what happens, God knows your husband, and he knows you.

He wants you to be joyful, to trust him, knowing he will take care of you.

He wants to give you His peace.

Philippians 4:4-8

 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:25-30

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Challenge

-Choose to trust God and be joyful, when you are tempted to be discontent, remember something to be thankful for

Dreams...

What are your husband's dream?
What makes his face light up?
What gets him thinking and dreaming and talking?
Does he share his dreams with you?
How do you respond to them?
Challenge
-Go out of your way to support your husband's dreams.
   Ex. If he wants a farm someday, learn to do farm things that will relate to his farm (drive a tractor, run a chainsaw, milk a cow, plant a garden, etc.), if he wants to own a certain classic car someday, buy him the manual for it, etc.  

Confidence...

Most men are drawn to people with self-confidence.

They are people that they can count on and trust.

Are you striving to be someone your husband wants to be around?

It is perfectly possible to be confident and submissive.

Carry your head high and respect your husband whole-heartedly.

Challenge

-Be confident! Attract your husband's attention with your confident smile and honoring heart.

If you are constantly fretting over decisions, stop often and ask God to guide you and give you wisdom.

If you are feeling beaten down and burdened, remember that Christ's yoke is easy, and his burden is light.  He does not intend for you to be broken down.

List it...

Challenge
-Write down 8 things you like/love/admire about your husband, inside and out.  Fold up your list and put it in your pocket or hang it on the fridge.  Whenever you start to think something negative about your husband, look at your list and thank God for all his good attributes.

I'm Positive...

Don't set your husband up for failure.
Don't have the mindset that he is going to fail.
Don't focus on what he can do for you, or what he isn't going to do for you.
Instead, ask what can you do to make your husband's day better?  What will make him smile?
You will never be happy if you focus on what your husband does wrong or forgets.
Focus on what he does right, and what he remembers.
Love him, regardless.
Respect him, regardless.
Appreciate him.

Challenge
-Focus on the positive today.  
-Don't let yourself think anything negative about your husband.

Patiently...

Love is patient...

Challenge

-Be patient today, no matter what happens

Personally...

Challenge
-Do not take things personally today

Learning...

Learn to be grateful.

Learn to make romance happen, regardless.

Learn to learn from your husband.

Learn to be strong.

Learn to be a helpful person.

Learn to laugh with your husband.

Learn to learn, in every situation.

We have to work to have a good marriage.  

The work pays off.

Learn to believe you will reap what you sow.

Challenge

-Think about a time when you reaped what you had sown, good or bad.  What can you learn from that experience?

respect...

Challenge
-Write down three ways you can change how you respond to your husband that will show your repect

Help...

Challenge
-Be helpful today.

Pretty Please...

Challenge
-What can you do today that will please your husband?

Challenge
-Rub his back/feet/whole body tonight before bed
-Make it a habit to smile at him when you first wake up

Obsession...

Every man has an obsession.  Some men have multiple ones.

This obsession could be anything, some examples being: hunting, fishing, restoring cars, playing video games, building computers, watching a sport, or even sometimes work.

What do you do when your husband is in the midst of his obsession?

There are various responses and actions you can choose.

You can:

A. Confront him about it.

B. You can mope and pout.

C.You can join him.

D. You can use the time he is busy to do something yourself. 

If you want what is best for your marriage, there are right and wrong answers.

A Wrong  

(He will take this an attack on who he is as a person and think you do not respect him)

 B Wrong

(This will make him want to spend even less time with you.)

C Correct

(Men often think it romantic when their girls join them in their hobbies.)

D Correct

(Examples ranging anywhere from learning a new skill to doing your own hobby)

Or, you can really show your love and do something for him.

If he is gone for extended amounts of time, do his to-do list for him.

If he is home, you can still do his chores, serve him a meal in front of the TV, rub hi shoulders, etc.

Challenge

-Take a critical look at how you normally respond to him while he is in the middle of his hobby/obsession

-Decide how you should be responding to him and make a large effort to change

Dolled up...

Challenge
-Do three things to your appearance today that your husband will like

He loves you...

I am still learning to be a good wife.

I will always be learning.

Most recently I have been learning to change my thinking.

My biggest change is this:

Just because your man is not sentimental does not mean he does not love you.

Most husbands would die for their wives.

 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 (KJV)
You are your man's best friend, and he would die for you.
He has the greatest love for you.

Challenge

-Look for ways that your husband cares for you (Shows his love)

Examples: He works to provide for you, he takes care of your car, he holds the door for you, he likes for you  to sit next to him, he explains things, he is not violent with you, he has apologized, he asks how your day was, he hugs you, etc.

-Pray and thank God for all the ways your husband shows you he loves you and ask God to reveal more ways that your husband cares for you that you have missed.

Joy...

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

Rejoice always, 1 Thessalonians 5:16

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD. Psalm  27:6

Challenge

-Be joyful and cheerful today.  It is a choice to be joyful, to not be overwhelmed by evil, but to overwhelm evil with good.  It is a choice to respond to your husband with a smile, regardless.

It is a sacrifice to God.