Can a Marriage REALLY Change?

Have you ever had your doubts that something was too good to be true? Especially something that goes against the “norm”? We want to share Jo’s experience as she began to apply Ephesians 5:33 to her marriage. She believed her friend’s marriage was changed, but what about hers? Read on:

I had my doubts.

I joined a Motivating your Man God's Way study at church because a friend of mine had done it and said it changed her marriage. I thought it was probably a worthwhile pursuit, but "life changing"? I had my doubts.

I was shocked!

After the first chapter I was shocked by what I learned. I did the "respect test" on my husband, who is usually very quiet about his feelings. When I told him I respected him his response was "I don't think so.”

I felt like I had been slapped. I had no idea he felt that way. He said he also felt that I was teaching our daughter to be disrespectful.

I sincerely apologized to him and made a vow to myself that things would change.

And they did!

The love on his face…

I have tried to use the respect word honestly and frequently. I wrote a letter telling him all the things I respected about him, apologized again for my lack of respect, and promised to do better. I left the letter on our bed.

When he came out of the bedroom after changing from work he held the letter up to me and said a soft and heartfelt "thank you.” It wasn't so much his words, but the love on his face that touched me.

Life changing? Yes it is!

I wish I had heard about Love and Respect sooner. I have told every woman I could about this "life changing" (yes, it is) message.

We have a ways to go but our marriage is so much better. There is a lot less arguing (I have learned how to jump off the Crazy Cycle) and a lot more loving.

Even my daughter is learning to show more respect to her father. And I am hoping by sharing this with her now, when the time comes she will have a head start on becoming the wife God calls all women to be.

~Jo

This isn’t fair…but it’s right.

Love and Respect is not a magic bullet or a quick fix. Contempt, however, will never win in changing your relationship with your spouse. We understand this may not seem fair to you. You may even wonder why you need to make the first move. But I’d like to challenge you to do just that…today.

It just might be life changing!

Emerson