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A Secret Your Husband Needs You to Know

By June 12, 2015Family, Marriage

Ladies, there’s a secret your husband probably won’t share.

He may not even like that I’m sharing it.

It’s not that he doesn’t want you to know. He does. But, it’s hard to admit sometimes. Or, difficult to find the right words.

But, I feel you need to know. It could make a huge difference in your marriage.

Here goes:

He needs your unconditional respect — in fact — he needs you to be his biggest fan.

There. The secret is out in the open.

It’s true. He needs to know you respect him — what he does and whom he is.

Your support feeds his God-given ego.

Of course, that ego can be abused. And, it is many times. It doesn’t, however, diminish his need. I would even say — his greatest need.

Just as you need his unconditional love, he needs your unconditional respect. (And vice-versa)

I also realize you nor he is capable of perfectly fulfilling those individual needs. 

But at least you know the secret now.

Doing well for the woman he loves is perhaps one of the greatest goals in a man’s life.

That inner desire starts at a very early age. The little league ball player who turns around to see if mom watches him bat. The same little boy who brings a flower (weed) home to mom. It’s the respect he’s seeking.

The truth is sometimes a guy feels as if he doesn’t measure up to everyone’s standards. Actually it happens a lot of times.

(Please don’t tell him I told you all this.)

He feels the weight of being wonderful in so many areas. His home. His family. His work. Even in his hobby.

It’s a pressure men carry internally — possibly never sharing it with anyone.

Chances are fear of failure is his greatest fear. And the fear of disappointing you is a close second.

He may see you seeming to do so well with all your responsibilities. Whether in the home, with the kids, or in relationships — he feels you always know what you’re doing. He knows he doesn’t.

Even your walk with God may shine brighter than his sometimes. Okay — most times.

You handle things so well, in fact, at times, he’s tempted to not even try.

(Please don’t tell him I told you this.)

Let me give you a personal example. One time after preaching Cheryl said nothing. Usually she says “Great job today” — or — ”That was a good one”.

That day — nothing!

Three days later I asked, “Was I that bad?”

See how shallow I can be?

Truth is I need her positive feedback and encouragement. It’s what fuels me. It’s what keeps me motivated to do my best.

Your husband is likely similar.

I know that sounds shallow of us. Perhaps it is.

But, here’s the best part of the secret.

If your husband feels respected in his home — he will do anything to keep it.

Maybe even start doing the dishes. If he does, brag on him.

Who knows? Maybe next will be the dusting. Nah — don’t push it!

And, if you’re raising a son — next time your little boy — I mean big boy — is up to bat, make sure he can turn around and see you smiling. It will make all the difference.

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Ron Edmondson

Author Ron Edmondson

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Comments (42)

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Ladies - do this! You will not believe the changes in your man. He will become the man God intended him to be! One word of caution - make it sincere. Be honest. Lovingly.

Also, let him hear you brag about him when with those he respects!
1 reply · active 709 weeks ago
One caution - women need the sane kind of respect from their husband. Love and respect are not gender specific. As a woman, I'm in as much need of his affirmations of my achievements as he is.
2 replies · active 709 weeks ago
AMEN! I read this post when you first did it two years ago and it's still as true now as it was then. I used to complain that my wife never told me thank you for things that I did. Not that I needed to be patted on the back for each and every little thing that I do, but it's like I never ever heard those words. Now that we are in difficulty, she does make it a point of saying thank you quite a bit and now I realize that's not really what I needed; I needed to feel and experience her respect for who I am in her life and the marriage; as the man and the husband and the father. And I do not get that for the most part and I so hunger and thirst for it.

I found a card that she gave me some years ago. It says simply, "Thanks for all that you do, I don't know what I'd do without you". Most days those words ring hollow as she seems to get along just fine without me in her heart. But there are two things in that simple note. The first is a "thank you" for what you do. The second, and more important is, "you are so very important to me". The first is about the tasks I perform, the second is about who I am as a man and husband.
Would you mind forwarding this to my wife so it didn't look like it came from me? ;^)

Great post.
I wonder how many problems in marriage would be solved if husbands loved their wives unconditionally, wives respected their husbands unconditionally and we both forgave each other unconditionally?

I know for years I yearned so much for that unconditional respect from my wife; although I probably was not loving her unconditionally. Now I am loving her that way, but I still don't get that respect that I so long for. And you know... those concepts are in the Bible... Read Eph 5:22-33.

I heard a Christian radio program the other day about forgiving and two people had emailed in about how the husbands in the marriage had failed in some big way, but how the wives had stood by the husbands and were practicing unconditional forgiveness and how the marriages were being healed and were better than ever and how that was positively affecting the husbands. I almost cried, thinking about how things might have been different if my wife had done that with me... or would do that with me now. Not that I should get a pass for the mistakes that I made, but I give her unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness and if she would do the same to me...WOW what a marriage we could have.
Lisa Schick's avatar

Lisa Schick · 709 weeks ago

Please read the comments as this applies to both of us,

Love,
Karl

7 Reasons I Love My Wife | Ron Edmondson

[...] share this as a man’s greatest need. It’s commanded in Ephesians 5. I wrote about it HERE. Cheryl does this like a pro. I can honestly encourage the women in my church to follow her example [...]

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[...] you catch it? It’s pretty simple. I’ve written about the principle before HERE and HERE, but the principle is simple. Inside the heart of every man is a desire to be respected, [...]
While I think both husband and wife need to work and strive to respect each other, whether in good times or conflict (i.e. fighting "fair", no name calling or character "asassinations", etc....), I remain unconvinced that there is such a thing as "unconditional respect". This catch-phrase has become the new Christian "hype" - started indeed by Emerson Eggerichs. I don't believe there is any such thing as "unconditional respect" - whether in the business world or in relationships. Respect, like trust, is earned. Unconditional love is a bit easier to entertain as a concept, as we all know that we can love people who have abused us, cheated on us, lied to us, etc...However, there are times when we still love abusers but cannot stay in relationship WITH them. So, it is possible to unconditionally love someone but there still need to be boundaries and limits to how much abuse one "endures" in the name of love - for example, the case of a battered wife.
Furthermore, the concept of unconditional respect suggests that there are no boundaries in a relationship. For instance, if a husband has an affair, is the wife called to "unconditionally respect" that man? How would that work? She may still love him, but she will lose respect for him in this instance, and rightly so. The man should suffer the natural consequences of losing his wife's respect by committing an immoral act. Without such consequences, anything goes! In this same circumstance, the wife would lose trust for her husband and the husband would (and should) suffer the consequences of that loss of trust, which would need to be re-earned over time. This is an extreme example, given, but an example of how the concept of unconditional respect is simply unfounded and ridiculous. This would be the same in the business world. If a man cheats or embezzles money at his work, he will lose the respect of his partners. Plain and simple.
3 replies · active 651 weeks ago
To conclude - Just a side note - I cannot imagine a husband being satisfied and pleased with hearing a wife say to him, "I don't love you but I sure do respect you, honey." ????? To finish - love is the foundation of all relationships - trust and respect are the walls that keep that love safe and thriving. Even God puts conditions on our relationship with Him. He unconditionally loves us but we are also called to trust, respect and obey him. Without trusting, respecting, revereing and obeying him, we can lose our way and our connection to Him. He will unconditionally love us even when we stray and disobey him but He will also chastise us - ie. allow us to suffer the consequences when we sin. It is the same with husbands and wives and in all other relationships as well with regards to one person breaking another's trust or committing a disrespectful act such as infidelity, lying, cheating, verbal abuse, spiritual and emotional abuse, etc.....Unconditional respect and trust would mean a boundary-less marriage where anything goes.
1 reply · active 502 weeks ago
Great post. We are holding a Home Manager's day event next April at the camp and conference center I run. I'll be speaking to all the hard working stay at home moms about this topic, "From the husbands point of view". I've printed this off and plan to add it to the packet of take home resources. Thank you for the resource.
1 reply · active 638 weeks ago
Hi! I see this post is quite old, but I felt the need to comment and ask for some insight.

I try to show my fiancé that I respect him and appreciate him. Sometimes I slip up on respect--people have told me before that when I think I'm right I get a rather annoying look on my face that states very clearly that I think I'm right (yes, I know this is unattractive and I'm trying very hard to work on it). Anyway, what I am getting rather good at is telling him the things he does SO well. Being in a relationship with him is BY FAR the best I've ever experienced, and I make it a point to tell him so, and to tell him it's because he treats me so well, accepts constructive criticism well, does many nice things for me, is super hot (well, he is!), is great in his field of work, isn't lazy--I mean, the list goes on for miles, and I'm always trying to think of exactly which things he's really good at so I can tell him so.

Yet when I tell him these things he shrugs them off, and not just with a little, "Aw, it's nice you think so," but in a way that contradicts what I've told him. I frequently hear: "I'm not like that," "I don't do that," "That's not true." Of course, that doesn't mean I stop telling him these things, but I'm not sure how to go about making him believe, at minimum, that this is the way *I* see him.

In this once instance, can't he just see things my way? :)

Kidding aside, in what ways can I get him to see that the way I view him is full of admiration, respect, and appreciation? I try to help him out by doing things for him (acts of service), make sure to pick up a snack I know he'll enjoy while I'm grocery shopping (gifts--I've actually always been a gifter even though I'm a physical touch person), we spend lots of wonderful time together and vary our activities (quality time), we hold hands, snuggle, hug, et cetera (physical touch), and I do say very nice things about him daily (or near daily) (affirmation). All in all, we have a wonderful relationship. It's just frustrating to see him speak negatively of himself and I feel rather like I'm failing him somewhere if he can't believe me when I say nice things about him. Maybe he's just hiding his pleasure at hearing these things, I don't know. He doesn't normally have trouble showing emotion, though, so I'm not sure that's it.

Anyway, insight would be lovely if anyone has it.
1 reply · active 533 weeks ago
For years my wife's sister would degrade me for "working with my hands and not with my mind". My wife said little in defense if anything at all. The fight was all mine. Then she joined in on the comments. Not just with her family but in front of friends, people at church, anywhere. I have told her that I would never go into a social situation or trust her again. Right now I'm in the "cheaper to keep her" mentality of this marriage which is 30 years old. The only reason I bring this up is to say to all the wives or fiances out there that YOU do have a lot to do with his well being. It's more than hurting his little ego, it's crushing his desire for life and for you.
You nailed it, Ron. Exactly correct!
1 reply · active 508 weeks ago
I respect and love my husband so much. He is an amazing provider, has excelled in his career, loves his children, helps me around the house, and is overall a great guy. The Junior Officers in his command once made a flyer titled "Captain Huffman's Guide on How to do Everything Well". I loved telling him how proud I was of him, thanking him for all the things he did around the house, and appropriately bragging on him to friends and family - then one day he asked me to stop. I was baffled. Turns out my words were making him feel pressure to excel, to do better than last time, to do even more. I felt so terrible - that was the last thing I was thinking, he already did WAY more than I could have ever imagined. I've learned to modify my language and sometimes just use a touch or a kiss to thank him for what he does - same idea just a different delivery!
1 reply · active 508 weeks ago

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Great post Ron! I'm not maried yet, but am thanking God for all this valuable wisdom so that when I do get married I'll be off to a great start! @healingbalmcafe
Really true, Man all need from their lady is loyalty,honesty and respect. If both side having this things as pure as holy water than that relation ship will run for long time with a great understanding and relation ship bond.
This is a very insightful piece. Thank you!!

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I do everything I can as a wife have a home cooked meal , wash clothes,take care of children, clean home I am still being disrespected in the worst way. If we have an argument he brings up the time he cheated and he was glad he did it because I'm such a bitch he says. Reason why we fight us because he can't do his duties as in throwing the trash what is so hard I do everything else he works part time 20-30 hrs a week he doesn't help at all and has been so close to physically abusing me which he has done in the past.
1 reply · active 502 weeks ago

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