New neighbors moved in across the street from this couple, and the wife started watching these newcomers. Every evening she looked out the window and noticed the husband come home after work. She couldn’t miss the fact that nearly every night, this man would bring home flowers or a little gift for his lady.
She’d run greet him as he got out of the car, and he’d hand her a gift. They’d kiss and hug and then walk in the house and close the door behind them.
One night after watching this same gushy scene over and over, the poor neighbor woman finally reached the breaking point. When her husband came home, she asked, “Have you noticed the new neighbors across the street?”
As he dropped his briefcase on the floor and fell into his chair in front of the TV, he replied, “Yeah, I’ve noticed we have new neighbors.”
“But do you have any idea of what they do every night?”
“No, dear,” he replied, “what do they do?”
“Every night when he comes home, he gives her a big kiss, he hugs her, and he almost always brings her a special gift like flowers or something. How come you don’t ever do that?”
Her husband stared at her with a puzzled look and said, “Honey, I can’t do that. I don’t even know the woman.”
Sorry, ladies, but I admit that we husbands are sometimes a little dense and a little slow. A husband and wife who had been married for 30 years constantly fussed and fought, so they decided to go to counseling.
They sat on the couch across from the young counselor bickering and arguing, and the counselor couldn’t get a word in at all. Finally, he got up, walked around to the front of the desk, pulled the woman into his arms, and planted a big Hollywood kiss on her.
He turned to the husband and said, “That’s what she needs three times a week. She needs more affection.”
The husband said, “Okay, I’ll bring her in Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.”
There’s a lot of male bashing out there. Some women love to vent by telling men jokes. Like, how are men like parking places? The good ones are taken and the rest are handicapped.
Or, how many men does it take to screw in a light bulb? Just one. He holds it up there and waits for the world to revolve around him.
Or, what did God say after creating man? I know I can do better than that.
As Genesis 1:27 reads, “… male and female He created them.” God must have a sense of humor because He made men and women so different. As John Gray wrote, “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.”
We think differently, approach things differently, have different needs, yet God in His wisdom puts together a husband and wife to build a marriage and a home, to raise a family, and ultimately to glorify Him.
As we celebrate the differences, we should also be serious students of marriage. Take the time to read and learn about marriage. Learn how to be a better listener. Discover your spouse’s primary love language so you will know how to better make him or her feel loved. Practice acts of kindness consistently. Affirm and encourage. Do something special for your spouse this week.
Wives, most husbands I know adore their wives. They may simply not know how to show it. But husbands, at least we can say it, because our wives need to hear it.
Say “I love you” often, and work on finding ways to show it. Express appreciation. Be kind to one another. And don’t stay mad. Life’s too short to be short. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.”
Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 15:12).
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[Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor, McDonough Road Baptist Church, Fayetteville. The church family gathers at 352 McDonough Road, just past the department of drivers’ services building, and invites you to join them this Sunday for Bible study at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10:55 a.m. Visit them on the web at www.mcdonoughroad.org, or “like” them on Facebook.]
