The dawn is breaking; the birds begin their songs of praise, the air is cool and

fresh, and dew dots the grass and flowers. Another beautiful day is bursting open-a gift of God for a new day of life.  As I awake to these blessings God is pouring forth, my thoughts go to another blessing sleeping quietly beside me, his breathing is slow and relaxed. Thank you Lord for the miracle of life. Thank you for my husband. Thank you for a new day and all the gifts you've already given to me/us today and for those yet to come.

Do we even recognize the love of God through His daily benefits, or are we just taking them for granted? How about you wives? Are you sometimes more thank- ful for a sunny day than you are for your dear husband? Perhaps it isn't in your first thought, but do you recognize the blessing he is and give thanks for him?

I’ve met wives who are disappointed and discontented with their husbands, irritated and resentful, ungrateful and bitter. Their joy is gone, their marriage a disappoint- ment. They look for happiness and fulfillment in others, in hobbies, in careers, in things; but they don’t look to God, the author of love and life.

I encourage you, whether you find yourself in discouraging circumstances or if you have a good marriage, that our love and respect for our husbands can even be better. The more we take our eyes off ourselves and look to God for His love to permeate our hearts, the more love we will have for our husbands. We will be channels through which God's love can flow to our spouse, first receiving the blessing, then passing it on.

I have found the blessing by first choosing to be thankful-thankful for my husband for what he has done, for the ways he has provided, his companionship and love, his protection and help, his care for the children, his hard work, honesty, and leadership. List as many things as you can and thank the Lord for these. This gets our eyes off our- selves and puts them on God, which will then help us to see through His loving eyes the many blessings we experience through our husbands.

Second, I look for ways to demonstrate my appreciation for my husband to him. The first opportunity comes at the beginning of the day. When I first wake up, I’ll often turn to my husband, cuddle him and whisper, “I love you” before I ever get out of bed. I’ll lay my head on his shoulder and begin thanking the Lord for those blessings I men- tioned above and more. This certainly sets the tone of my day and in my heart it pre- pares me to look for ways through the day to continue to express love and appreciation.

God will help us know what will best reach the heart of our husbands. Perhaps organizing his clothes for him in the closet or dresser; polishing his shoes; having dinner ready for him; washing the windows; dusting the house; keeping the bathroom clean; vacuuming out the car, washing it and maybe even waxing it-these are all expressions in deeds that say I love you! I take care of myself and wear nice clothes that he likes, which lets him know that he’s important to me. Greet him at the door with a smile and kind words. “I’m glad you’re home! How was your day?” Accept the typical short answers of “fine”, “good”, or “OK”. Don’t meet him with all your problems. As you provide a loving and nurturing environment he will open up to you. Have the children ready and happy to meet father. Settle their differences before father arrives so the home is peaceful and happy.

Look for ways to serve him. If we really have a desire for a loving marriage, a ful- filled relationship, a happy home, we must be willing to do what Christ did for us to have that relationship with us.  He gave all-everything.  His focus wasn't what will I get out of this, but rather “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3 Because He loves us, He draws us to Himself through lovingkindness. That means we don't just do things as an act of kindness, but that the spring of action is love. They are insepara- ble. If we would focus more on our spouse's strengths and not on his weaknesses, and focus on the Lord instead of ourselves, we would find an inward motivation flowing out of us in loving kindness. Our attitudes would change, our discontent, disappoint- ment, discouragement, irritation, anger, hurt, and resentment would dissipate and love would reign where once there was an ugly evil.

We will find it easier to submit to our husbands and allow them to be the head of our homes as we learn to be submissive to Christ and allow Him to be the head of our hearts. (Eph. 5:22) It isn’t a drudgery, it isn’t a forced will. It is a cheerful submis- sion (obedience, meekness, and assent) to His leadership, and that of our husbands.

Practically, this means that if my husband says “no” to a certain food that I happen to like even though I know it’s not good for me, I find that my joy comes through hon- est submission, which is always respectful. He wants what is best for his family. I agree and find strength to resist the temptation, even when I’m alone or know I can sneak it without him finding out. If he’s not comfortable with a blouse or sweater that he feels is too tight, I trust his judgment as a man and my husband who wants to pro- tect our marriage. It’s my joy to hear and choose to submit to his recommendations.

Often it is the little things in marriage where the lack of respect and an unwilling- ness to be submissive occurs, not over moral issues. Thus it is true that in the little things we either build a happy, loving marriage or we destroy it. We do not lose our individuality by becoming all God wants us to be in our marriage. We do not lose our identity but rather become more complete, respectable, and respected.

We become one with Him, one with our husbands-a beautiful expression of true love.

We need to develop respect for our husbands by putting the best construction on their words and actions. We cannot truly know another’s motives (although some- times we may be right through experience with them). As we train our hearts to put a positive construction on their words and deeds, we will find we have greater under- standing and sympathy for them and through our influence can encourage them to grow, to improve, to connect with Christ and find victory.

So tomorrow as the dawn begins to break, the birds raise their songs of praise, the cool, gentle breeze blows and we awaken to a new day of life, let's begin by thanking God for our blessings and demonstrate our love to the one by our side.