How to Honor Your Wife: Trust Her Gut
by David Chadwick
I wish I’d been smarter in this area. If so, I could have avoided a lot of pain. I stupidly ignored this reality. If I could redo one major part of Marilynn’s and my marital life together it would be this one. I’d trust her gut more. I’d honor her intuition.
It’s happened not once, but on multiple occasions. Marilynn sensed something was wrong. Her spiritual antenna was high. It was receiving strong signals. She sensed something unknown. There was an inward, environmental stimulus without any accompanying reason. It caused extreme tightness and discomfort in her stomach area.
She couldn’t explain why she undeniably sensed what she did, but she did. She just knew something wasn’t right. Something was out of whack. Something bad was about to happen. Her gut was twisted and nervous. There was a foreboding something on the horizon. And she was saying to me that I just needed to trust her gut.
Too often I ignored her suggestions and plowed ahead with what I needed to do and thought was best. I’d give a polite nod. Or sometimes I’d argue back, saying she didn’t understand the full picture. Or sometimes I was totally dismissive and I’d say she simply needed to trust me. Looking back, I often ignored her instincts to my own eventual chagrin and demise.
Fortunately, she has seldom poured on guilt by saying, “I told you so.” She’s been gracious when I’ve later acknowledged her wisdom and my folly. But on many occasions I’ve gone to her and simply said, “You were right. I was wrong. I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.” If there is one positive thing that’s come from these excruciating experiences, it’s that I learned great humility.
Again, I wish I’d been smarter. In this area, hindsight truly is 20/20. Some people call it women’s intuition. Others refer to it as a gut instinct. I’m not exactly sure of the appropriate term. But I know it’s true. Women have something inwardly that men don’t have. They receive insights on situations men tend to ignore.
Through the years, I’ve learned that Marilynn is on my side. Like God, she is for me (Romans 8:31). She wants the best for me. She wants me to succeed. She desires for me not to step into stuff that will hinder me. If this is so, I must trust her gut.
This series is adapted from David Chadwick’s book, Eight Great Ways to Honor Your Wife. To download your free PDF copy of the book, please visit our website by clicking here!