5 Things that Limit Your Growth as a Wife.

What is limiting your growth as wife?

“Everything that has life grows,” my pastor used to say.

These words ring true for marriage as well; that if our marriages are alive, there will be signs of growth.

If there’s anything I’ve learned teaching and mentoring wives, it’s that wives desire, nay crave, growth.

We don’t want to stress over the same things we were stressing about last year.

We want to praise more than worry, trust more than doubt.

We want to love better than we did yesterday.

But to grow in this way, we must overcome challenges, make personal changes and allow transformation to start from within.

Today I want to look at some of the things that limit our growth as wives, and if unaddressed, how they affect marriage.

5 things that will limit your growth as a wife

1. Old wounds

In my upcoming book,  (Update, now available here) – I talk about how I came into marriage carrying old daddy wounds.

God had healed me (by far) by the time I was getting married, but the adjustments and challenges of marriage began to pick at the scabs.

I don’t know what areas of your life need healing, or what areas God has already healed.

But marriage, because it’s closeness, intensity and depth, is a place where your healing will be tested.

You need to understand that old wounds trying to burst open is not necessarily a sign you are unhealed.

Sometimes it’s just a test, a sort of push-back against your growth and healing.

When the test and push back comes, it’s not a cue to fall apart in despair; it’s time to stand your ground.

If you have unhealed or unaddressed wounds, understand that they do affect how you see yourself and your marriage.

But there’s healing for you. And it begins when you follow the gentle beckoning of the Holy Spirit, allowing him into the dark caverns of your hurt and disappointment.

Remember that what you cover cannot get healed.

Deal with the past, expect your healing to be tested. Don’t fall apart simply because you were presented with a test. Work through it, stand on your victory

Related post

Role Models: Dealing with your past so it doesn’t hurt your present

2. Unhealthy marriage dynamics

A marriage relationship is as good as the two people involved.

Someone said that an omelet is as good as the quality the eggs in the bowl; one bad egg will spoil the whole omelet.

When it comes to the “marriage omelet”, I believe God can work with one good egg. i.e. He can hold the marriage together with just one “good” spouse, as he works out the situation.

But often God will need this “good egg” (spouse) to be very honest about the status of the relationship.

Like, you can’t ignore the stink in your relationship and expect your relationship to flourish.

If there’s a unhealthy habit, you’ll need to be brave and “go there”.

You’ll need to pursue real peace, not merely a lack of conflict.

You’ll need to speak up, with love and grace.

You’ll need to let go of timidity, laziness and fear.

Because

God has called you to be a helpmeet, not a enabler.

He does not hold you responsible for what your husband does or does not do, but He holds you accountable to your end of the deal.

3. Unhealthy environment

As a new bride I was extra concerned about adding extra weight after marriage (being honest y’all).

I have always walked on the leaner side and one married lady had planted an ominous seed in my head.

“Wait until you get married, your small waistline will disappear!”

It was terrible “advice” to give a skinny single girl!

As an early-wed wife, you’ll have all kinds of advice flying in your direction. And sometimes you’ll feel helpless against tide.

But you are not helpless.

You don’t have to soak up everything that comes our way as if it was the gospel truth.

Because it’s not.

In fact, the only “advice” you should be giving your ears to is the one that lines up with the word of God!

Watch your environment, who you hang out with, what you watch, what (and who!) you listen to because it will affect your expectations, belief and growth.

Check out this post and scroll to point # 8.

 

4. Self-limiting beliefs

Henry Ford said “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”

God wants you to have an extraordinary life and marriage.

If you struggle to believe that, think about Jesus; leaving majesty and splendor for this old dusty planet of ours, so He can rescue us from sin.

His extraordinary sacrifice and grace was not in vain; He did not die so we could be helplessness and defeated and worried.

He did not come all the way to give us a small ordinary existence.

He overcame the impossible so that you could overcome the impossible. He didn’t do that for Himself, He did it for you.

So as you go through different seasons of marriage and life, continually shed off every limiting voice that attacks you.

Voices that want you to to act small in your marriage and as a wife.

Voices that say God has abandoned you, that your husband will never change, that you can’t have children, that your finances will never improve.

The way to shed off limiting beliefs is to start knowing what God says concerning your life and your marriage.

“Positive mind talk” is all good, but girlfriend, it ain’t going to win this fight.

You need God’s power to overcome mental strongholds and thinking patterns and you find it in His word.

5. Lackluster relationship with God

A limping marriage sometimes indicates a a limping spiritual life. (Click to tweet).

That limp is most pronounced in your number one area responsibility; your role as a wife.

In their book “Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage Just Isn’t Good Enough“, (affiliate link) Authors Justin and Trisha Davis say

“You can’t have an extraordinarily marriage without having an extraordinary relationship with God.”

Please read the following posts on this topic.

Is God instructing your marriage today?

Of Idols in marriage and how to break free

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Creating a great marriage is not easy. But I thought it was. After all, “love is enough.” Still, feelings of love took flight and our new marriage struggled. Took a long time but I finally began to learn what true love was; an intentional pursuit of my vows, in the midst of life’s messes and failure; a determination to honor God first, before my spouse; a willingness to take personal responsibility (and courage to keep my spouse accountable) So..are you an imperfect girl married to an imperfect guy? My book Blues to Bliss: Creating Your Happily Ever After in the Early Years might help. Learn how to positively influence your marriage and create the marriage of your dreams, one intentional choice at a time. Buy the book Paperback I Kindle I Nook I PDF I PDF EU NATIONS . Or Click here to go to the book page.

 

Linking with Messy Marriage, we are That family, Wifey Wednesday