Influencing Your Husband

A Great Post from At The Well regarding the Positive Influence of a Woman:

Influence your husband. I recently read the book “Girls Gone Wise” by Mary Kassian, and wow! I was much more “wild” than I thought…not really in my actions, but in my heart, oh yes. When I got to chapter 18 of 20, I had already been made aware of my wildness, but yet I was reminded again. Here’s an introductory excerpt:

“The Lord created women with a unique relational bent. Therefore, women are powerful influencers – particularly in their relationships with men. How do we use this gift wisely? How can we make sure that we are influencing others in a positive way?”

I paused here. I pondered. Am I influencing my husband in a positive way? I continued…

“A wise woman knows that it’s not her words, but her behavior that carries the biggest clout when it comes to compelling change. The more Christlike you are, the more positive your influence will be. If you truly want to influence someone else for good, you won’t focus on changing his behavior. You’ll focus on changing your behavior. You’ll work at becoming more godly, and on interacting in a more godly way.”

Wow. So it’s not about our husband’s actions…but, it’s about our actions. It’s about a desire to change what we control, not control someone else. It’s about influencing by our life. I continued on further for practical application…

“A positive influencer is very wise and careful with her words. She wins others over “without a word.” She’s not a blabber, jabber, nagger, whiner, complainer, or yammerer. Nor does she use wiles, charms, smooth talk, or sweet talk to manipulate. She gives very little in the way of advice – so the little she says is extremely powerful and effective.

I don’t know about you, but this hits right at my heart. Many times in my interactions with my husband, I am not influencing him wisely, or positively, or effectively. It’s more of the blabbering, whining, charming kind of way…