Being a gracious wife...

This post comes from a blog called The Striving Wife written by Heather. I have been working on being more gracious to my husband and came across this blog. I wanted to share some of it with you. She writes what I wanted to. :)

Grace, n. a sense of propriety and consideration for others; a disposition to kindness and compassion; a disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill; mercy; clemency; a favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence; kind or polite

Why is grace so important? Other than the fact that it is by God’s grace that we are saved (and not of any work that we do), God also calls us to pass that grace onto others. (1 Peter 4:10) I fully believe that being a Godly and Biblical wife means that we are called to be a Gracious Wife.

In this series, I will be looking at several specific contrasts to the Gracious Wife, but first we must define what a Gracious Wife looks like!

The definition of Grace somewhat gives it away, but let’s look closer at it.

* a sense of propriety and consideration for others

• A Gracious Wife is polite, and puts others first!

* a disposition to kindness and compassion; a disposition to be generous or helpful; mercy

• The Bible says to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

These characteristics not only will benefit your husband, but also your kids, extended family, friends, church members, co-workers, and people you may not even like very much.

Think about it… think about your responses in various situations. Do you respond graciously? Or do you respond with sarcasm, defensiveness, or anger? Do you talk about your husband in a demeaning way to your girlfriends, or do you talk respectfully about him? Do you hold a grudge against your husband when he does something wrong, or do you forgive him and move on?

Let’s move out of the realm of your marriage… You are tired, but your kid needs help with his homework. Out of compassion and consideration, do you help? Or do you leave him to fend for himself? That might be an easy answer…. let’s go deeper. Your co-workers are gossiping about your boss… does your graciousness win out, or do you give in to the lure of the gossip? A friend “uses” you, and you so want to be bitter at her… do you forgive and continue to extend kindness? Or do you stay angry and lash out with unkind words?

I pray that I remain gracious, even when circumstances seemingly “justify” sinful behavior. I pray that I am a woman of Grace, regardless of how others’ treat me. I pray that I exude God’s grace, which He lavishly bestowed upon ME. Out of love and honor for our Savior, let’s pour out grace on others… let’s strive to be Gracious Wives!!

Now here are some questions for you…. When do you find it most difficult to be gracious? What do you do in those situations? What characteristic(s) seem to come out most frequently when you’re NOT being gracious?