A bag of frozen hash browns was the object of my attention today as I banged on it several times with a heavy kitchen tool to break up the solid chunks.
I figured my husband, Jim might come into the kitchen to see what the commotion was about and sure enough he did. For some reason I was "in a mood" and that aggravated me. He began to remark innocently on the sounds coming from my banging and that aggravated me even more. I cut him off short and told him to "get a life."
He turned to walk away and immediately, I knew I had failed again.
I asked God to forgive me and stopped what I was doing, went to Jim and told him I was sorry for the way I talked to him and he accepted my apology but I was still ashamed. I had said something mean to the man I love and respect.
Sometimes, as the above story demonstrates, I don't treat my husband with the respect he deserves. Even though I know the Bible, in the 5th chapter of Ephesians, tells me I am to revere my husband.
I may not know a lot about revering but I'm sure telling him to "get a life" was not showing him reverence. I've been working on doing that the last few months because I saw it was an area I needed to improve in. I want to appreciate my husband and I don't want to take him for granted. Yet I still struggle with my attitude sometimes.
But isn't cynisism and cut-throat sarcasm something the world has begun to applaud? Sweetness and kindness are now talked about as though they are bad qualities even when they are genuine. It's a terrible mind-set to have and certainly doesn't foster an attitude of gratefulness.
I am committed to addressing this issue the next time I find myself responding with a cynical retort, especially to my husband. He deserves my respect and God deserves my obedience. Maybe watching less tv would help.
(I found a wonderful, very well-written article on the subject of revering our husbands that I'd like to share with everyone. It was a help to me and I hope it will be to you also. http://barbarah.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/that-she-reverence-her-husband/#comment-115673)