I say “I love you” to my wife every single day, without fail. But I’m not sure my words always line up with my actions. If I’m completely honest with myself, I have to admit I have a ways to go when it comes to loving my wife the way she should be loved.
It’s much easier to say “I love you,” than it is to actually love her, not because she is unlovable, but because I simply fall short in this area. All of us do, but it doesn’t mean we stop trying to love our wives in the greatest way possible.
In the video above spoken word artist, Brent Price, expresses his prayer to love his wife in the best way he can. What he shares is a model for the greatest way to love your wife, a crucifixion love. A model that we, husbands, should strive for when it comes to our wives.
I know we’ll never be perfect, but why not come as close as we can. Here are three reasons we should strive to have a crucifixion love for our wives.
Because you gave your word
Most traditional wedding vows include this sentence, “I promise to love you unconditionally.” If for nothing else other than the fact we gave our word, we should strive to love her unconditionally.
Honoring our word, even when it is hard or hurts us is one of the “manliest” things we can do. Our wives will love when we “man up” in this area, and they will trust us in all other areas because we do.
Because it’s the greatest thing we can do for our kids
Our kids and family benefit greatly when we love our wives better. When our son sees their mothers being loved by us it can change the trajectory of their lives for the better.
When our daughters see their mothers being loved unconditionally by us, she will feel loved and safe too. Our kids will be able to experience what love really looks like, therefore they can be loving to you, your wife, their siblings and others.
Because we are called to
Our call as husbands is to love our wives as Christ loved the church. We are called to give ourselves up for our wives. We’re not called to lord over them, we are called to lead them as servant leaders.
That means when there comes a choice between your desire and her desire, her desire comes first. That love is a selfless, sacrificial, and perfect love. It’s the call you accepted when you said, “I do.”
[callout]The way we love our wives impacts every other area of our lives.”Click to tweet this quote[/callout]
The way you love your wife impacts every area of your life. If all else fails around you, and you have a loving relationship with your wife, you can withstand it. When things are going well and you’re not loving your wife the way you should, it’s not as sweet.
I encourage you to not just talk about it, but to live out the greatest way to love your wife.