Dale and me standing in front of our first apartment, 30 years later.

A lot of women who read The Good Wife Recipe assumed that marriage had always come easy for me. It hasn’t always been easy.

My dad left our family when I was young, so I lacked the example of a godly marriage. Being the oldest child, I was very independent. Those two factors added together equaled a negative value in my tendencies toward marriage. My learning curve took years.

I loved my husband, but I didn’t respect all of his ideas. I had my own ideas of how things should be, and naturally, I thought I was right. Overall we had a good marriage, but it wasn’t what it should be until one day, after reading the Bible, God led me to make a decision that tamed my independent mind-set. I decided to submit to Dale’s role as the leader of our home and to respect his thoughts and opinions no matter how much I might disagree. Gulp.

Our marriage started changing after that day. When Dale would share what he thought the kids needed to do about school or church, my first impulse was to say, “Are you kidding? No way!”  Instead, I said nothing. I would bite my tongue, receive his words, and follow his leading. Amazingly, good things started to happen. Dale was making decisions that led us in the right direction! Why–because  he cares about the family. Dale doesn’t rule over us with an iron fist. He lovingly considers our needs, opinions, and dreams.

Since I yielded to my husband’s lead, I haven’t always agreed with his decisions. Nevertheless, I stood firm in my commitment and followed Dale anyway. The outcome has always been positive and a sure sign that God is leading him. I am honored to follow such a man of God.

Now I find myself in awe of my husband. He is everything I could ever dream of. It is my desire to be everything he dreams of too! If he wakes me up before the alarm with kisses, then I pray that God will give me the ability to be what he needs. I actually enjoy making his favorite meals, dressing the way he likes, and sharing the same interests and hobblies as he does.

Sometimes when Dale walks by me, my heart will skip a beat. You know what I mean? It’s like  love potion has been poured on me! We are two people in passionate love—now more than ever. When we honor our husbands in every way—at home, in public, and in our conversations with others—God pours out His passionate love, and we are swept away by it.

Make a conscious decision to honor and adore your husband. You will become the woman of your husband’s dreams, and he yours and the legacy will live on in your children’s marriages for generations to come.

Today I’m going to give away a book written by my dear friend Rachel Olsen and her pastor entitled, “My One Word.” It is an incredible book about making one word represent what you most hope God will do in you, and you focus on that for an entire year. This single act will reveal clarity and concentrate your Christ-like efforts. I love the book!  Along with the book I’m giving a $25 Outback gift certificate to one name drawn from the comments today.

What is the one thing you need to work on in your marriage? If you’re single what is the one thing you need to focus on this year?

I’ll pick the winner from the comments tomorrow morning at 10AM (Wed). I’ll post the winner at that time.