Young Wife Epiphany (Quickie)

I was just in our guest (i.e. junk) room, cleaning up, when I found a couple of notes written to my husband in college. He attended a Baptist college for his first two years, and I guess they had "Affirmation Cubbies" that students were encouraged to use to spur one another on. Not sure, but anyway, reading briefly through the notes, I had an epiphany. My husband NEEDS my encouragement. Duh. To further this point...apparently, my mother-in-law kept journals for each of her children (she has ten by the way) which recorded times when they blessed her in various ways. Well, this Christmas, she gave my husband his journal, and for our car trip home, he asked me to read it out loud to him while we drove the 2 hour trek back to Athens. There were a couple of (in my opinion) really sweet, maybe even *gasp* sappy remarks in there, and whenever I laughed after reading one, I noticed it really kind of offended my husband. Hmm... could it be that once again, my precious, Godly mother-in-law knows something that I do not? :-) She understood her sons' need for encouragement. I am so often there to poke fun at him in the Elizabeth Darcy fashion, when I need to be my husband's biggest fan, always there to point out to him areas where he is succeeding (by God's grace) and even to the point of sappiness, he feeds off of this encouragement. In my opinion, this type of encouragement is really giving due respect with joy. The Bible commands several times in Scripture that the wife ought to respect her husband. Eph 5:33, 1 Peter 3:1-2, 1 Tim. 3:7 (command includes wives)

What I don't mean is that I ought to flatter my husband, or puff him up with pride...rather, I am to give him Gospel-centered encouragement, reminding him that any progress he makes is a result of the price paid for him on the cross, and according to the enabling work of the Holy Spirit within him. However, while he runs the race, I am to cheer him on. Yay for my sweet Johnmark!!!