"What Women Wish Men Knew About Women"

Pastor Laura Guy

August 26, 2007

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We read Paul's advice to husbands, the "simple" verse in Ephesians 5:25 where Paul admonishes men to " love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." This is the most difficult kind of love because it is self-giving and humbling, to the point of washing the feet of the other in service.
We heard how a woman's heart has been compared to a "love bank." As long as she continues to receive words and acts of love, her bank account remains full. But with every demonstration of love from her, or every hurtful word from her beloved, there is a withdrawal from her account. If the account balance gets too low, the relationship can be in danger. A helpful book in understanding what kind of currency our spouse requires in her love bank is "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman.
We looked at the results from a survey given several years ago at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in which women were asked what helped them feel loved by men. The answers varied, but most of them could be categorized by the following three words: attention, affection and appreciation.
We saw the results of an informal survey Pastor Laura did with 22 women this week.
- 1). Which of the following would you prefer?
  - A. Your husband brings you a dozen roses for no special occasion.
  - B. Your husband offers to give you a back rub, with nothing expected in return.
  - C. Your husband asks if he can pray with you.
- 2) Which of the above would make you feel more romantic toward/closer to your husband?
- 3) Which of the above is most likely to happen?
- 4) Which of the above is least likely to happen?
12 of the 22 women said that they would rather have their husbands pray with them than receive roses or a backrub. 18 of the 22 women said that praying with them was the thing their husbands were least likely to do. There is a longing by these women to share in prayer with their husbands, but they fear their husbands will never agree to it. These women simply want to go before God with their husbands, sharing in prayer the things that are most important to both spouses - their children, their jobs, their health, their parents, their marriage. The men were encouraged to talk to their wives about the survey and see what answers they would give.
We prayed that God would help all of our marriages become stronger and healthier.
We shared communion around the table of love.