A Tender Heart
This is the fourth essay in a five-part series on Marriage Advice
from 1 Peter 3:8.
...have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
A Tender Heart
So,
in Greek, eusplagchnos,
means good
intestines.
We now talk about our “heart” as our center of love and
affection. Many
translations mark it as well
compassioned.
Good
ole Webster explains it like this:
Compassion
is a mixed passion, compounded of love and sorrow; at least some
portion of love generally attends the pain or regret, or is excited
by it.
Seriously,
I am so crazy about that definition. Pain and regret by itself
doesn't move anyone to action. But stir some love in… and you have
compassion.
It
seems that most men don't love talking about the painful parts of
their lives… but that doesn't mean we, as wives, can pray for them
and support them through their struggles… that we can have
compassion on what is going on in their hearts and minds. Here are
five areas of his inner workings to pray about. In doing so, beg God to give you compassion
for your husband.
1.
Bruises
All
of us have scars from past decisions, personality traits, and life
disappointments. Pray that God will meet your husband in those
bruised places… that He will be the balm of the secret wounds.
Pray that you will be sensitive to those tender spots and will not
use them against your husband. Pray that God will open your eyes to
ways you can encourage your husband.
2.Broken
Relationships
Pray
that God will work through your husband's relationships. Pray that
pride, self-salvation, and self-glory will diminish so that both
people will be able to lean towards God. Pray for open doors of
communication and servant-hood. Pray that you and your husband will
both be peace-makers. Pray that you will not meddle nor gossip.
Pray that God will give you the right words and will help you know
when to keep your mouth shut.
3.
Burdens
Pray
that God will help you see how He is working through your husband.
Pray that you will share the load of his heart… but more
importantly, that he will not try to rely on his own strength, but
will submit to our generous, helpful God. Pray that God will
overwhelm him with His love and faithfulness. Pray that God will
give you wisdom of how -and if-and when- to reach in and ease his
burdens.
4.
Bolsters
Pray
that your husband will seek God alone as his comfort and strength.
Pray that his time and heart are full of God's Word and prayer. Pray
that you will not nag, judge, or get frustrated by what relaxes him…
knowing that you, too, spend more time on Pinterest, Facebook, or in
a good book than you'd like. Pray that video games, sports, or
flipping channels will not consume him but that both of you will seek
time with the Lord.
5.
Brothers
Pray
that God will give him good friends. Pray that he will have godly
men who speak into his life. Pray that their laughter,
sportsmanship, and honesty lead each other to God's throne. Pray
that you will make room in your life for his friendships and not
begrudge him.
Put
on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate
hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing
with one another and, if one has a complaint against another,
forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must
forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything
together in perfect harmony. And
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called in one body. And be thankful.
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