After reading the above statement, I’m sure you’re asking, “That all sounds wonderful, but if we are so focused on our spouse’s needs, then what about our own needs?” Notice what I said above: “the woman who will lay pride aside to willfully meet her husband’s needs finds joy in a marriage of peace and unity.”
There is no question that I still desire to have my needs met, but constantly challenging my husband to meet those needs is selfish on my part, and my efforts always fail. Through true servanthood to one another, when I strive to meet his needs and he strives to meet mine, we find ourselves in the marriage we both desire. I have heard it said that you have to meet halfway … I no longer believe this to be true. I’m willing to go all the way!
Even if Chad only goes 30 percent, then we will be fine, because there will be other days when he will give 100 percent and I will fall short. You don’t have to be a statistician, just understand that when you are both “all in” and can take your eyes off your own needs and focus on your spouse’s needs, you will be most fulfilled.
Excerpt taken from Marriage Advance by Chad and Kathy Robichaux, a book helping couples strengthen their marriages in times great adversity and advancing toward the ultimate success God had in mind when you said, “I do.”
Kathy Robichaux is the director of women’s programs for the Mighty Oaks Foundation. She has a strong connection with women and wives struggling with the pain and heartache in the wake of PTSD. With vast amount of personal experiences, she speaks publicly as a wife and mother who fought the war with the symptoms in her husband and came out the other side with a restored marriage and an even stronger faith. Kathy and Chad have been married for 20 years and have three teenage children: Hunter, Haili and Hayden.
