Sunday, April 29, 2012

When Your Husband is Attracted to Other Women...& a Link Up

Immodesty is EVERYWHERE in our society.  You can find it on the billboards, t.v. shows, commercials, movies, driving through town, at a shopping mall and sadly even at church.  You can't avoid the bare-skinned, tight-fitted, short skirts, and cleavage that is displayed ALL OVER THE PLACE and neither can a visually-made MAN!  Not only are these women immodest, but some of them are down right gorgeous and it's hard not to notice them!  And I'm a woman saying this so imagine how a married man must feel!

I had a reader ask me a question about how do good Christian women keep a healthy and fulfilling intimate life with our husbands based on all the immodesty that surrounds us, along with all the immoral women out in the world. 


Last week I addressed the first part of her question on how to have a fulfilling intimate life and this week I'm going to address the beautiful, exquisite, and immodest women that are found far and wide.

Male or female, attractive people are just that, attractive, and sometimes you can't help but gawk notice them.

But what happens when your man's eyes are on just about every attractive woman that walks into a room?

Sorry to say friend, but you don't have too many options.

It's not like you can shield him from society or lock him up in a room so he'll only have eyes for you.  Nor can you put extra clothes on these women and make them look ugly!  And putting a bag over their head isn't the answer either.  (Wishful thinking, I know!)
 
So, what do you do?  How do you deal with this issue?


First, here's two things to help you better understand your man....
  1. God made men to be visual.  Your man is a flesh-filled, imperfect human being; he's not Jesus.  So this is one area where you'll want to practice extending grace to your husband.
  2. Recognize the fact that you can't control your husband's flesh and you can't control his heart; these two issues are a matter for the Holy Spirit to transform. 


But I think this thought might help you in your situation.....

 

There's a big difference between a man who finds a woman attractive, and a man who is lusting after her.  One is a sin and the other is not.


"But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."  Matthew 5:28
"Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids."  Proverbs 6:25
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."  Romans 13:14


7 Tips for a Healthy Marriage

  • Let's face it, there will always be someone prettier than us, so make sure you check your jealousy at the door because if you don't, it'll harm your marriage.  Remember who you are in Christ and that you were made in His image; let Him speak to your heart so you can ward off the jealousy that might be brewing in your heart.
  • Refrain from pointing out to your spouse how you think another man or woman is drop dead gorgeous.  Essentially, it's like you're opening a window to let the Enemy come in and sow seeds of insecurity, jealousy, and potentially lust into your marriage.  This seemingly innocent and fun people-watching activity doesn't build up your marriage nor you and your spouse in anyway, shape or form.   
  • Do what you can to look attractive for your husband.  (But be careful on this one because it can be a slippery slope, meaning your outer appearance should not become an idol.) Also, a wise husband will be understanding of a woman's changing body and that's when he should be gracious to her.  Babies change things, illnesses and injuries change things, hormones change things, and of course the aging process takes a toll on a woman's body.
  • Don't deprive your husband of your body; let him see you in your birthday suit!  Generally speaking, there is a reason why men find immodest women attractive....it's because they are! These women are all dolled up and they're showing their parts!  Try doing that for your husband on a regular basis.  You can read more about that here and here.
  • Be vulnerable with your husband and share your heart with him.  Let him know how it makes you feel when he is looking at other women, or worse yet, when he's making comments about them in your presence!  He may not even realize he is doing this or that it even bothers you. 
Here's a simple dialog you can have with him:  Hey love, I know there are beautiful women all over the place, and I wished I looked like some of them!  I do realize that God has made you to be very visual, however, when I'm with you and you're looking at these women, it makes me feel unattractive to you and it hurts my feelings.  So can you do me a favor?  Do you mind keeping your eyes on me when you're with me?  When you do that, I feel a great amount of love by you and I feel desired by you.
  • Pray for your man and what he wrestles with.  Don't forget that we are in a spiritual battle and the Enemy would love to destroy our marriage.
 "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Matthew 26:41
  • One last tip, but this one is to help you help someone else's husband.  Be mindful of how you dress in public.  Is what you're wearing something that you would want another woman to wear around your husband?  Seeing how you'll want to be modest in public, you'll need to come up with some creative ways to be immodest around your husband!  

Talk to your man about what I've shared here and get his thoughts on this as well!


In case you're wondering why I don't spell out s*x, it's because I don't want this post to be blocked because of parental controls or filters on one's computer.


Live a poured out life for Christ,




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21 comments:

  1. Jolene, I want you to know how much I appreciate your advice in your posts. I love that you are real and not preachy. Just wanted to let you know.

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  2. Shanda, that so blessed me! Thanks friend.

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  3. Really wonderful post! Thank you for the advice and encouragement!

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  4. Excellent suggestions, Jolene. This is such a problem today! We've just begun a practice that we adopted from the Duggars. When we are out and I see an immodest woman, I tell my husband how much I like his shoes or how well his shoes match his outfit or that he's beginning to need new shoes. That's our signal that he should look down and not up. I'm blessed to have a husband who is sensitive to these issues and tries to find solutions to the problem.

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    1. That's a neat idea, Meghan, and what a blessing to have a husband who is sensitive to your heart.

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  5. You are straight from God!!! Thank you so much for this post & thank you for addressing that we should be modest!!!

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  6. HI Jolene - so much great advice. Its good when one can find a place for good hearty truth!!!! Going over to facebook now to "like" your post there too.
    God bless friend
    Tracy

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  7. Thanks for the excellent post! God bless,
    Laurie

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  8. Hi Jolene,
    Thanks for this thoughtful and practical post! It's real-life: this is something our husbands face. But we can be proactive in how we handle it, and I love your ideas.
    Blessings,
    Ann

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  9. Jolene this was such an encouragement to me- thank you for sharing this post and not only the reasoning but helpful ways to live it out. My husband knows how insecure and jealous I can be and I know at times I push it to the point where it angers him. I need to work on remembering how much he loves me and how treasured I am to not only him but to the Lord!

    Blessings,
    Nicole at Working Kansas Homemaker

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    1. Nicole, you are beautiful in God's eyes....remember that He was the who fashioned you! :)
      Glad the post encouraged you, friend!

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  10. hopped over from the titus2 link up, and ahhhhh!! the holy spirit has really been convicting me of not allowing my hubby to see me in said bday suit, and then you confirm it. well shucks. not easy when you're 50 lbs over wieght and feel yucko, but thank you for presenting such an important topic!

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  11. Wow, such an awesome, and helpful post. Thank you.

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  12. This is excellent. I think what a lot of (especially young) men do, unconsciously maybe, is touch other women. Not unkindly or lustfully. When I was a newlywed I saw my husband at a church fellowship dinner and he was massaging the pastors wife (she was a pastor too) shoulders. She was greatly enjoying it. I was really upset. I had read how inappropriate this kind of behavior was and I felt the act was too intimate. I walked up to my husband, tapped his arm and told him to stop it (quietly). I told him it made me feel really uncomfortable. Then I told the wife/pastor that I thought this was really inappropriate behavior. She was taken back to say the least, saying it was harmless but later completely agreed with me and apologized. Big bear hugs are also something my husband and I do not do with people of the other sex (unless it is family of course). My husband is the super helpful type of guy and 28 years later he is much more in tune with how I feel (and vice versa) and what makes me comfortable. Wonderful post that I am sharing. Have a wonderful day.

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  13. This was a great post! Dennis Prager said that when men notice a beautiful women, they become somewhat excited for 10 seconds but forget all about her 10 seconds later. I will start following your blog and linking up one of my posts every Monday since marriage is what I write about a lot. I really enjoy your thought also. Blessings, Lori

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  14. One lesson that my hubby and I learned a while back that we have worked into our marriage is this: My spouse IS my standard of beauty. Rather than comparing my spouse to everyone who may be "prettier" or "hotter" its we need to rewire the way we think about our spouses and what beautiful and hot really are. If your spouse is losing their hair then guess what? You like bald. If your spouse has put on a few pounds. Guess what? That's your standard of beauty. Ultimately, when we spend more and more time with someone our attraction shouldn't be based on physical features as much anymore. Character is sexy and that becomes what draws us to each other the more we know each other. Not saying its not important to look your best and take care of yourself or try and do things for your spouse that you know they enjoy but we also have to be very cautious with the whole attitude of comparison.

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  15. My spouse always go out the way for other woman ,opening doors,complent on how they look when I approach him,he become angry,he brings confusions betweeen family members and I its always a woman,and I have falling out of love with him. A man who pulls u down and never speaks kind words .

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Your kind remarks bless me tremendously!

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