I’m working with a married couple in crisis right now. If I were to share with you the nitty gritty details of their issues, you’d think, “There’s no way this will get better.” What’s so exciting to me is that the core of their problems isn’t any different than the core of Adam and Eve’s issues …
Do you know any women who aren’t struggling with their weight?
I don’t.
Seriously. And it makes me just ticked.
The bottom line (no pun intended :)) is the following: 1) research by Feldhahn in 2006 shows most husbands are happy that their wives are working towards being more physically healthy – and they don’t expect us to be a size 0 – and they feel important to us when we try to look nice for them, and 2) most women want their bodies to look good, and enjoy more energy when in better shape (notice I didn’t say, “are a size 6”), and 3) God wants us to take care of His temple – our bodies.
So yes, be healthy. Work out if your doc says you can – you’ll have more energy and confidence. But don’t compare yourself to other women – live or artificial (tv and magazine) – just keep your eyes on Him.
And beauty REALLY shows up in our behavior, not our wardrobe or our waist size.
Love to you!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zfuyF3hWOA]Ten years into my “Christian walk,” I discovered that I really didn’t “get it.” My experience of God wasn’t a relationship, it was a checklist. Bible study. Check. Prayer time. Check. Sunday service. Check. Volunteer. Check. Make a meal for someone in need. Check. Tithe. Check. Busily doing things “for God,” but not in real …
So a few months back, we ran a survey and discovered a commonly used phrase that instills fear into the average husband. The creator of all this anxiety? One of the most commonly used phrases by wives around the western world: “We need to talk.” Fully 96% of our survey respondents had a negative reaction to …
My husband walked into the kitchen two days ago and apologized. Apparently he had said something to me earlier in the day that he viewed as unloving, and he felt the need to apologize for it.
What’s amazing is that I didn’t even remember him saying it.
So, ten years ago, I would have not only remembered it, but would have let him know in no uncertain terms how he had hurt my feelings, disappointed me, AND (probably) set a bad example for our children. Funny how God really doesn’t need my help in coaching my husband after all…
While I wish I had known something that simple in the first ten years of my marriage, I realize now that I wouldn’t be able to relate with the too-many women just like me who struggle with these things.
So join me this week, staying out of God’s way while He does His thing (and perfectly, I might add) with the hub!
Love to you,
~Nina