Becoming the Husband I Want to Be

Love is the foundation of all good husband qualities. While there are many qualities that make a good husband, here are three I’ve seen.

Conflict is an inevitable part of every relationship, putting us at odds and out of sorts with the ones we love most. Close intimate friendships that were once good-natured and friendly are now marked with disharmony, disconnect and hurt feelings. How do you repair the relationship after the argument, and restore the intimacy you once had?

Preachers and teachers on marriage (and I have been among them) often warn young moms about being moms first and wives second. It’s certainly a dangerous and ever-present temptation that deserves attention. But this post is for the young husbands who have their own temptation—expecting their wives to be more than any one woman could possibly be while raising their kids.

Husbands, wondering how to really love your wives? On FamilyLife Today, hosts Dave and Ann Wilson share what women need and how to go to the next level!

When your wife says there's something wrong with your marriage, guess what, there's probably something wrong with your marriage. And for the sake of that marriage, a husband would do well to listen.

Some of the mantras given to me as a newly married man may have hurt, instead of helped, my enlistment into the active-duty husbandry put on display in Jesus Christ. Consider four naive, and easily misunderstood, words of counsel given to new husbands, even from well-meaning Christian brothers.

This week Emerson and Jonathan discuss six ways that a husband can really
hurt his wife and the marital relationship with the things he says during
conflict. This can occur when he attacks her feelings, her thinking, her
beliefs, her relationships, her self-image, and her willpower.  

Dr. Walt Larimore offers Biblically-based insight on the marriage relationship and what it means for husbands to honor and value their wives.

The Big Idea It's very possible that your wife is dying a slow death inside because she has no emotional intimacy with you. The Teaching Most married couples have very little private talk time each week.  Jobs, kids, chores, and screens(phone, laptop, iPad, television) take up most of their time.  Conversations, when they happen, tend to be brief and about superficial topics.  So, emotional intimacy is practically nonexistent. The wife feels the pain and loss of this lack of emotional connection

Ten years in, my wife told me she didn't love me anymore. I would have said our marriage was a 10 out of 10. How was I so blind to the deadness of her heart?

Many wives long to have their husbands choose them all over again. To be their knight in shining armor. Their leader. Their listener. Their lover.

Husbands, when your wife is facing tough times or is weary, and it’s in your heart to help her in some way, you might think, “If I only knew just the right thing to say to make her feel better and let her know how much I love her.”

Your relationship with your spouse is often gauged by a "like meter," which describes how you feel about him or her. What can you do to lift the needle?

If you want to improve your marriage, you can start by becoming a better spouse. Learn some simple and practical ways you can be a better mate.

Show her your love by making sacrifices to keep those date nights alive.

With over 800,000 copies in print, If Only He Knew by bestselling author Gary Smalley has long been esteemed as one of the premier books on marriage for men. Smalley helps men understand their wives and meet their needs in order to establish a loving, thriving relationship that will last a lifetime. Newly revised and expanded to reflect up-to-date research and the current cultural landscape for today's modern audience, this book is the perfect guide for husbands who want to love their wives and strengthen their marriages in a way like never before. Using humorous and touching illustrations from his own life, as well as case histories and biblical examples, Gary Smalley maps a blueprint to a better marriage that will have a deep and lasting impact on men and their wives.

3 Things Your Wife Needs from You Emotionally, by Keren Kanyago.

Dating tends to go out the window once you walk down the aisle, but Justin Buzzard says the best dating begins after marriage. Buzzard’s new book, Date Your Wife, focuses on the thrills and benefits of pursuing and wooing your wife.

Women certainly wish their husbands understood these physiological factors which play such an important role in the female body.

A FamilyLife staff member offers six ways husbands can be godly in their role.