Day 8: Patience is a virtue.

Men think differently than we do. They take longer to process information. Women can make a life altering decision before the other person is even done speaking. That’s just how our brains operate. As wives, we can rush our husbands into making a decision or rush them for an answer. We are even guilty of this during arguments. We can spew and spew and spew information and expect an immediate response and they just stand there looking at us. We need to be patient with them. Take a time out of you need to so your precious husband can take time and process. Especially if you have a military or contractor husband like mine. A husband who also has a TBI with severe memory loss, like mine. I have to remind my husband on a daily basis the things that are happening, what time, where, and what I need him to do.

It’s been a trial, and it’s taken me more patience than I ever wanted. But it’s so worth it to know that my husband appreciates my ability to remember every little detail. It’s worth it to know how much he loves me when he sheepishly comes up and asks me “honey do you remember what I did with…” and I tell him exactly where it is. He trusts me because I am patient with him.

I know this sounds like I’m basically saying “Bless their heart” with the obvious connotation that something is really wrong with them. I’m not at all trying to insinuate that they’re slow, brain dead, children or the like. They just process information differently than we do. God created them this way. We may not understand it. That’s perfectly fine because we don’t have too. Understanding is not a requirement for us to love our husbands.

I Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.”

Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Proverbs 14:29 “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”

Be patient with your husband. It is a fruit of the spirit and a virtue of a Proverbs 31 woman. Don’t be quick tempered. Be loving and kind and gentle. Basically, if it’s a fruit of the spirit, then do that. Pray daily that the Lord will bring forth the fruits and change how you interact with your family, for the better. Pray that the Lord will show you your husband through His eyes.

Cheers,
Nila