Trophy Wife (a message for Husbands)

I’ve got a great friend named Lyn who is fighting for his marriage. I’ve been inspired by the depths of his faith and the strength of his resolve to win back his wife’s heart. He has taken full responsibility for the part he played in contributing to the marital breakdown, and he recently shared a story with me that became a turning point in his journey…

For years, my friend worshipped his cars. He was a car nut. He knew everything about cars and would spend long hours honing the engine, waxing the paint and painstakingly caring for every detail of his prized possessions.

He was good at it. So good, in fact, that he would spend the weekends at car shows where he accumulated a massive amount of trophies to confirm that his time on his vehicles had been well spent. The more trophies he won, the more he was motivated to work harder on his cars to win more trophies.

When his his wife was ready to leave, in a moment of despair and absolute clarity, my friend looked at those trophies and he realized what they were…junk. They were idols that he had been worshipping instead of worshipping God. They were tangible evidence of thousands of hours he robbed from his wife and family and given to his hobby.

He boxed up over one hundred trophies representing his blood, sweat and tears and he hauled them to a dumpster and threw them in the trash.

He made a promise to God that he would never again put his work, his trophies, his money or anything else ahead of God and his family. His priorities would now and forever be:

1. His Relationship with Jesus

2. His Relationship with his Wife

3. His relationship with his kids

4. Everything and everyone else.

What does your money and your time say about your priorities? The Bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Don’t let your work, your hobbies, your trophies or anything else take the place of priority in your mind and heart that belongs to God and your family. You will never regret the time you invest in those relationships but you’ll always regret the things that you choose to place ahead of them.

What “trophies” do you need to throw away to remind them and yourself what matters most? 

Your spouse and your kids should always know that there is no “trophy” on earth that you value more than you value them. Let their pictures be what fills your trophy case. Let your love for them and your faith in God be what drives your ambition. You’ll never go astray when you’re priorities are in the right place.

Your relationships are the only “trophies” that you can take to heaven, so spend your life investing in them. Trust God, Treasure your Wife, spend time with your Kids and build a legacy of Love, Laughter and Faith in your family that will touch the world for generations to come!

For more tools to build a rock-solid marriage, please watch our free video on The 4 Pillars of a Strong Marriage and check out our bestselling book iVow: Secrets to a Stronger Marriage. which is now also available for download on iTunes for iPhones and iPads.

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