Monday, June 15, 2015

What I'm learning the second time around... Take care of yourself

I've been feeling a nagging in my heart to write a series of posts about the things I'm learning about marriage the second time around.  

There are so many lies out there telling you how marriage is supposed to be, and it baffles me how many people believe it!  I know I did in my first marriage.  I let worldly advice upstage any Godly advice I was given.  

Why, you ask?  

Because I was not the sharpest tool in the shed.  

I did things wrong in my first marriage that might have changed the outcome if I'd have done better.  Not that I would ever want that life back, but what I can do, is use what I've learned to help other wives not make the same mistakes I did.  

One of my main mistakes was not keeping up my appearance.  

I know this can be a touchy subject, but I've got to go there.  

One of the biggest myths in the world is that once you get married you are then allowed to let yourself go.  I've been there, I thought 'I've got this man now, it doesn't matter what I look like, he's not going anywhere.  We're married forever right??' 

WRONG.  

No one is safe.  

I've witnessed it happen to the most secure couples.  Even couples in the church.  The devil's not prejudice, he'll go after anyone.  He knows our weaknesses.  

I had hit a point where I put myself last. I'd had two kids, put on a good 20 pounds or so, resorted to t-shirts, sweatpants, and pony tails, and basically decided I had too much on my plate to worry about my upkeep.  

I know now that I was wrong.  

Men want to be proud of their wife.  They also want to enjoy looking at their wife.   They chose you.  They married you.  It's not too much to ask for you to take care of yourself, and put a little effort into your appearance everyday.  

This is something I have changed about myself the second time around.  The gym is now a part of my weekly, or daily, schedule.  Cute clothes and perfumes are as well.  I want David to be proud he's married to me.  I also want him to enjoy looking at me and sharing my company in the evenings after work.  

It sounds very 1950's....  You know, put a bow in your hair, check your makeup, and put on a nice dress for when your husband gets home from work.  But it's true!  These women knew what they were doing!  The feminist movement that came about later on changed the way women thought, and I'm here to say it changed it for the worse.  

I've lived it myself, and I've seen what it's done to other couples.  Don't let this happen in your marriage.  Take the extra time to keep up your appearance, and your husband will appreciate it... 

You'll feel better about yourself as well, and when you feel better, you can be a better wife.

LLM