Marriage Wisdom for Her by Matthew & Lisa Jacobson  (With Permission)

The Gift of Gratitude

A single ounce of gold in a poor country and a little gratitude in marriage are alike; they both go a long way.

Everyone wants to be valued. Everyone wants to be appreciated. When was the last time you looked your husband in the eyes and sincerely expressed, “I’m so grateful for . . .” or “I really appreciate you because . . .”?

What is there to be grateful for?

Did you have breakfast this morning?

Is there heat in the house in winter?

Does he protect your family?

Is he faithful to you?

Does he play with the kids?

Is he kind?

Did he unplug the toilet?

Does he come home to you at the end of every work day?

Every wife has good reasons to be grateful, even if it takes some effort to think of those reasons. But being grateful isn’t enough. We must express our gratefulness, in order for it to have meaning and power.

In our home, we often talk about how, when there is a lack of appreciation from a spouse, we immediately assume the worst. Not only do we not feel appreciated, but we start imagining that the person may be thinking critically about us. It’s human nature.

You wouldn’t say you’ve been taking him for granted, would you? Certainly not intentionally! But that’s how a lack of expressed appreciation works. We’re just busy and don’t take the time to communicate.

Most men won’t say anything. They’ll just keep soldiering on, but what a refreshing drink the smallest word of appreciation can be.

The power of gratefulness runs both directions – to the giver and to the receiver.

Being grateful means you’re going to have a great day! It’s impossible to be annoyed and miserable when you’re grateful.

When you express sincere gratitude, it starts a powerful, positive communication cycle and builds value in the heart of your husband. It binds his heart to yours.

Are you a thankful, grateful wife?

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Dear Lord, Please help me to exude a spirit of gratitude for my husband. I pray he will feel like he’s married to the most grateful woman he’s ever met – that he truly feels my appreciation for him on a daily basis. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Challenge:

Tell your husband three things that he does on a regular basis that you appreciate but realize you haven’t ever expressed thankfulness for.

In your living room and bedrooms, you should have at least one symbol of your faith–a statue of the Savior and the Blessed Mother, a crucifix, pictures which bring to mind events in the life of Our Lord. -Rev. George Kelly, 1950’s 

Are your thoughts building a castle or a manure pile? It is vital to control the thoughts we have in our most important relationship…the one with our husband!

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Come Rack! Come Rope! is a historical novel by the English priest and writer Robert Hugh Benson (1871–1914), a convert to Catholicism from Anglicanism. Set in Derbyshire at the time of the Elizabethan persecution of Catholics, when being or harbouring a priest was considered treason and was punishable with death, it tells the story of two young lovers who give up their chance of happiness together, choosing instead to face imprisonment and martyrdom, so that “God’s will” may be done. It is perhaps the best known of Benson’s novels, and has been reprinted several times…

“The Earls of Ravenhurst must always stand for God and Our Blessed Lady, let the cost be what it may!” In seventeenth-century Scotland lies Ravenhurst, the stronghold of Clan Gordon, a family whose reputation for defending their people and their Catholic faith is legendary. But now the rights and lives of Scottish Catholics are in grave peril, and a traitorous usurper controls the clan. With the help of his mother, the “renegade priest,” and other heroic allies, young Charles Gordon must strive in the face of persecution and martyrdom to defend the true faith and restore to Ravenhurst a good, noble, loyal, and Catholic earl….

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