By Ashley Wells, on July 31st, 2009  Prayer is a very powerful tool! I’m sure that most of you know that! All this month I have been praying for my husband, each and every day.
Well, all this month (July) I have been praying for Michael. I have been very encouraged and inspired each day as I pray for him. It has been a wonderful time!
Sometimes, in all the hustle and bustle of the day, I forget to pray for Michael. So, this was nice because it reminded me each day to spend time in prayer on his behalf!
I would encourage all the wives out there, PRAY FOR YOUR HUSBAND! It is a wonderful honor!
By Ashley Wells, on April 30th, 2009  For the month of April, I have been doing the 30 Day Encouragement Challenge for Wives (PDF) from Revive Our Hearts. This is also a part of my 101 in 1001 Project.
This is a challenge to speak positively to and about your husband each day. There is also a bible verse and challenge for each day.
I have been journaling everyday in this challenge. Here are days 21 through 30:
Day 21
Bitterness and holding grudges can really come in the way when we are trying to encourage our husbands. The best thing to do is forgive your husband. We are called to forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)! If we (Wives) would just let some things go, our marriage would be better for it! Let’s try to keep short accounts with our husbands.
Day 22
Here is a verse that needs to be in our mind constantly, Matthew 12:36, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” Whoa! There are so many times when I’ve spoken so carelessly. I need to stop. right. now.
Day 23
Do you have a disciplined husband? If so, let’s not just think it! Let’s tell them! We need to be encouraging our husbands every time we can! Everyday, at least!
Day 24
Today this sentence from our reading really spoke to me, “Negativity makes a man feel like a failure, and may make him to want to give up.” How many times I’ve been negative! I never want to make my husband feel like a failure, because he is not! Yes, he is a sinner, just as I am. But we are both striving to leave for Christ. I never want to make my husband give up on that because I was negative!
Day 25
Do we create an atmosphere of peace? Do our husbands want to come home after work? If not, we need to do better (Psalm 34:14b)!
Day 26
When we choose to encourage our husbands we will see a change in them, and probably in ourselves as well! We have the ability to make them feel amazing, and also like a failure. This is a choice that we make, what are we choosing to do?
Day 27
Today we are to encourage our husbands courage. I personally have a very courageous husband and I absolutely love him for that! But, I am not talking about being a “tough guy.” I am talking about the courage that comes from the Lord (Psalm 31:24)!
Day 28
Today is all about humility. That is often the culprit in our problems with encouraging, our own humility. Let’s seek and pray to the Lord to help us!
Day 29
Our culture is completely sex saturated, does your husbands fight this battle with the flesh? Why don’t we help them some, pray! We need to be in prayer for our husbands battling the temptations all around them! Pray!
Day 30
This last day is focused on speaking with love, like when you speak to a friend. Our husbands are supposed to be our friends, so we should speak with love to them. Friendships grow through the good times and the bad times, friends are there for each other. Does your husband know that he is also your friend?
I have really been challenged in the past month to purposefully encourage my husband instead of speaking to him however I choose. I think it is so important to build up our house, not tear it down (Proverbs 14:1), and this challenge has really helped me to have more better days than not!
Click below for each post in the series:
Introduction
1st Update
2nd Update
Final Thoughts (YOU ARE HERE)
By Ashley Wells, on April 20th, 2009 For the month of April, I am doing the 30 Day Encouragement Challenge for Wives (PDF) from Revive Our Hearts. This is also a part of my 101 in 1001 Project.
This is a challenge to speak positively to and about your husband each day. There is also a bible verse and challenge for each day.
I am journaling everyday in this challenge. Here are days 11 through 20:
Day 11
Encouraging your husband is very close to the subject of respect. When you are negative to him or talk negative about him to others, you are showing him disrespect. When you respect your husband, you show that in your words and actions.
Our husbands are going to respond to us with love when we give them respect. When we don’t give them respect, we are speaking directly to their core. A man desires respect, especially from his wife.
This is something that I need to realize more and more everyday. I can so easily get upset at Michael and become negative. I need to realize that when I do this, I am showing him disrespect. I never want to show him disrespect, but yet that is what I am doing.
Day 12
Today spoke right to my heart. It was about having unrealistic expectations. And today I realized that I have too high of expectatons for Michael.
I cannot expect him to be everything that I need. He will always fall below. I need to rely on God for what I need, and extend grace to Michael in our marriage. He is a sinner, just as I am. We will neither one ever be perfect. But, I need to choose everyday to show him love and respect, even when in my eyes he may not deserve it.
Day 13
Today was about intimacy. When we are negative towards our husbands it hurts the intimate bond that we should have with him. This is something we all have to think about!
Day 14
Today was about encouraging our husbands for being set apart in our culture. For doing things that are counter-cultural. My husband used to have a landscaping business, and he was a good and honest business owner. He ran his business with integrity. It is wonderful to be able to say that about him without a doubt!!!
Day 15
Today focused on how we talk about our husband to others. If our familes and friend had an opinion of our husbands based only on what we have said, would it be positive? Our family and friend need to know that we respect our husbands, do we share that when we are talking about them, or are we negative?
I would love to say that I never talk negatively about my husband, but I wouldn’t really need this challenge if that were true. I am trying to improve my encouraging side because I see problems! I want others to know how I feel in my heart, not what I say out of anger.
Day 16
Today talks about how we, as wives, can sometimes be extra critical of our husbands because of how close we are to them. This reminds me of the fact that I treat guests especially well, but I don’t give Michael the same treatment. I have been trying to do just that, when he asks me for something, do it. If I see a need of his, fulfill it. This shows him how much I care about him.
Today also talks about encouraging our husband’s spiritual walk. Something that I can definitely encourage Michael about is his blog. He has been doing a great job sharing things he is learning through his blog. And I am proud of him!
Day 17
We were created special for our husbands (Genesis 2:18). We need to unerstand that when we are rude or critical, that could make our husbands wish that we were there. When all they see is an unhappy wife who is grumbling (Not me, I’m doing the Complaint-Free Challenge!) and grouchy, they would rather be alone. Do we create a marriage and environment that our husbands want to be active members of?
There are so many times when I can just get in a horrible mood and nothing is right and nothing is good. When I do this, I’m sure it does not make Michael feel good. I want to lift him up and make him feel good!
Day 18
Today opens up with Proverbs 31:26, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” This verse is what this challenge is all about. As we grow closer to God, we should be gaining wisdom. We should be opening our mouths and speaking with that wisdom. This verse also makes we think of Proverbs 14:1, “The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.” I want to open my mouth with wisdom and build my house! But I can so easily become foolish. This is why I need to be in God’s Word daily and in prayer continuously!
Day 19
Today reminded us to spend time having fun with our husbands. When we are having fun and enjoying their company, we won’t want to be negative. During this challenge, I have truly realized how often I fall short of being the wise woman who builds her house.
We recently stopped having our weekly dates, just because we forgot to plan them. So, I decided to start that up again! Great relationships aren’t just created, they take work and time! Spending time with your spouse will help you to remember why you married him and how much fun you have together.
Day 20
WOW, this really spoke to me from our little devotional thing today, “Criticism leaves scar; encouragement can bring healing.” That is a big and truthful statement! What am I doing, leaving scars or bring healing? I want to bring more healing than I leave scars, but is that what I am doing??? Not always. Not as much as I’d like!
Our reading also encouraged us to encourage our husbands physical bodies. I love my hubby! Every single inch of him! I think he is very attractive and I am so happy to be his wife!!!
Click below for each post in the series:
Introduction
1st Update
2nd Update (YOU ARE HERE)
Final Thoughts
By Ashley Wells, on April 10th, 2009 For the month of April, I am doing the 30 Day Encouragement Challenge for Wives (PDF) from Revive Our Hearts. This is also a part of my 101 in 1001 Project.
This is a challenge to speak positively to and about your husband each day. There is also a bible verse and challenge for each day.
I am going to journal everyday in this challenge. Here are the first ten days:
Day 1
Today I thanked my husband for choosing me as his wife. He picked me!!! I am so thankful! However, about an hour later I was not so encouraging… Thank goodness that I am a work in progress through Christ and that I can start again every minute, hour, and day, if I need to! Today I needed some grace, and it’s only day 1!!! I tried to make it up to my hubby by leaving a little note in his lunch box for work. Hopefully that helped.
Day 2
Today I thanked my hubby for providing for our family and always making sure that we have enough money to pay our bills, meet our needs, and even have some “wants.” I also apologized for being not too encouraging yesterday. I want to building my husband up, not tear him down. I can so easily tear him down with my words and actions. It is much harder to be encouraging. But, I am very excited about developing the habit to be purposefully encouraging.
Day 3
Today I thanked Michael for being so understand and encouraging through our infertility struggles. He has so often been there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on or to be held and loved. I am so blessed that he has been with me every step of the way. And now, he is encouraging me through our adoption journey too!!!
Day 4
Today I thanked Michael for being such a great provider for our family. He works very hard so that I can stay home. I am so thankful for that! After I was encouraging him he said that he thinks I am just acting and that this “new” and encouraging me will be gone in 28 days. Ugh! My heart sank. Is he right? Am I acting or am I being real and trying to become better? I want to be this “new and encouraging” wife…But some days it is so hard to be encouraging. Hopefully I will develop this habit better through this challenge.
I did it again. Something came up later tonight and I got not so encouraging again, okay I’ll be honest, down right mean…Why do I keep doing this? I want to be encouraging, why is it so hard? How do I share something difficult and challenging with love?
Day 5
Today started off on the wrong foot with hurt feelings unresolved from last night. However, we had a great conversation after church and I was able to share what I shared last night, but this time I did it with love (Unknown to me at the time). Michael asked, why didn’t I say what I said today last night instead of being so mean last night. I didn’t understand the difference. Then he said last night I was mean and degrading, but today I was encouraging and spoke with love. I was saying the same thing, but my attitude was different.
Why don’t I always speak with love? Why do I say such hurtful words to my husband, who I love so much??? Finally, I had shared what was bothering me and Michael actually heard me and took it to heart, because I shared it with love.
Hopefully I will be able to do this more often, talk with love that is. It hurts me so much when I am mean to him. It hurts me to see him so hurt because of something I did. Going to bed last night, I realized I had been discouraging and I felt so guilty, but, I didn’t know how to do it differently. However, today I have a better idea about how to do it. I am so glad that Michael forgives me when I mess up, and it seems like it is happening too often!!!
Day 6
Today I did better. I was able to encourage Michael and we were able to spend some time together. I am glad that God is working in me daily to draw me closer to Him and mold me and shape me! Praise the Lord for that!
Day 7
Today I encouraged Michael in the area of our finances. We are not rich financial, and I am okay with that. However, we are learning more about how to be good stewards of the money God blesses us with. Both of us are learning in this area and I already see great progress!
Day 8
Today I experienced a hint of discouragement towards Michael and I stopped it right then! I do not want to continue to tear him down!!! I thanked Michael today for his faithfulness to me, the future of our family, and God. He is a very faithful man and I am very thankful for that!
Day 9
Today I am trying to listening more than speak. It is important to hear what Michael says and truly listen. I am not always good at this…
Day 10
Today I am going to think about some of the qualities that made me fall in love with Michael. I am going to try to not be criticizing, but instead be an encourager.
Click below for each post in the series:
Introduction
1st Update (YOU ARE HERE)
2nd Update
Final Thoughts
By Ashley Wells, on April 9th, 2009
I love it every month when Exemplify puts out their monthly magazine! I look forward to carving out some time to read through it! They have a great team of writers and a passion to inspire women to live lives that glorify God, what could be better?
This month I really enjoyed an article written by Andrea titled A Family Fed. It was about craving God’s Word and being in it regularly.
This article reminded me of my journey to reading my Bible regularly, which I’ve been wanting to share!
I became a Christian when I was in high school. My parents aren’t Christians, we did not grow up going to church, and I don’t even think that I had a Bible. So, when I was saved, I got a Bible and started trying to read it. But, I kept finding it boring and hard to read. I would go through times of reading it daily and then times of not reading it at all.
I knew I needed to be reading about God, so I started reading devotionals. Now, there is nothing wrong with devotionals, however, I think that it should not replace reading the Bible daily. When I look back on the time when I was just reading devotionals, I do not see that much growth. Yes, I was inspired, but I was not necessarily growing in my relationship with Christ.
It hasn’t been until Michael and I got married (June 2005) that I truly started reading my Bible regularly and faithfully. However, even then, I would just jump here and there, or read about a random topic each day, not reading through the Bible.
I don’t really know how it happened, but I just realized that I was not where I wanted to be in my Christian Walk. I wasn’t growing closer to Christ like I knew that I could and wanted to do. I re-evaluated a lot of what I was doing and realized, I wanted to do more! And it wasn’t until then, through the working of the Holy Spirit I’m sure, that I started being intentional about Bible Reading.
Now a few months later, I found out about the 101 in 1001 project and I decided to challenge myself. I have never read through the entire Bible, but I was going to try! So, I set the goal for myself to read through the entire Bible in order.
Since I have started this challenge, I am so amazed at the growth I have seen and how much I am learning. I look forward to waking up and reading my Bible! Now, there are still days when I slip and don’t read. But I don’t get caught up in those days. I seek forgiveness and choose to start new!
Now, I just want to say that this wasn’t something I did. I thought that the Bible was boring, remember? However, I just started praying for God to give me a desire to be in His Word, and I still pray this. And you know what? He has answered! And I am so glad!
Check out the latest issue of Exemplify to see the article that inspired me to tell you my Bible reading story, it’s on page 9.
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Prayer is a very powerful tool! I’m sure that most of you know that! All this month I have been praying for my husband, each and every day.
