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Sherri M. is a friend of mine. Her husband, Chuck, is too.

Sherri and Chuck have been separated for a while now.

She responded to my post 6 Ideas for a Great Marriage.

Her comments must be heard. Here they are:

And for you Ladies:

#1 – Put your husband second ONLY to the LORD. Not the kids, not your mom, your sister, your best friends. He is to be the most important human on the planet as far as you are concerned.

#2 – Respect him. Even if you think it is the dumbest thing that you have ever heard.

#3 – Thank & praise him. Especially if he makes any of the efforts that Paul has outlined above. He will not touch that vacuum ever again if you criticize the way he did it.

#4 – Love him. Put a note in his sock drawer. Send a card to him at work. Make his favorite dinner on a Thursday, not just his birthday. The same things that you would do for your kids, just to see the look on their face – do it for your husband. He MUST know where he stands in your world. PROVE IT!

#5 – and probably the single most important thing that you can do for your man – Pray for him. Daily. Hourly. Whatever. Ask the LORD for wisdom, protection, his relationships with you, the kids, his boss & co-workers, his family, etc. Ask God for a good day for your husband. The benefits are astounding – try it.

As Paul said, 5 ideas that you can start immediately to create a better marriage and contribute to a better world.

God created three institutions:

1. Family
2. Church
3. Government

We can’t expect to get government right if we don’t get church right and we can’t get church right if we don’t get family right.

Bottom line, to see health and wellness (spiritual, financial, relational, racial, etc.) in our world we must start in our homes.

The best gift we can give to our world is a healthy home (I mean healthy in every aspect of the word).

Here are six ideas for husbands. Six ideas that will make your marriage/family better and have a positive ripple effect:

#1 Date your wife every week.

Just do it. Turn off the TV, say “no” to your buddies, find a babysitter and date that lady! Date her just like you did BEFORE you married her!

#2 Kids in bed by 8 p.m.

Your wife needs you WITHOUT the kids! Kids up after 8 is kids up to late! This is not so much about the kids as it is about you and her! Help her get those kids in bed so you two can make out… or make up… or just enjoy each other as you clean the house.

#3 Teamwork

Teammates don’t go “tit-for-tat”; they work together to win the game! They do what needs to be done. Husband, look around what needs to be done that you can do now… even if she normally does it? Can you run the vacuum? Brush the kids teeth? Fill the dog dish? See what you can do and do it… you’ll be surprised at what happens!

#4 Open the door for her

This is about being a gentleman. When Sherri and I were newlyweds I opened the car door for her (I still do). One time a “friend” said, “Ha! You’ll not be doing that a few years from now.” I wanted to say, “Dude, just because you’re marriage sucks doesn’t mean mine will.” Men, be a gentleman. Treat your wife with honor and respect. Speak well of her and give her the honor a lady deserves. Be a gentleman.

#5 Do Domestic Detail

This is a manly way to say “help around the house.” You can do laundry or dishes without having to check in your “Man Card.” Help your bride around the house. I do all the laundry and clean up everything after supper (in addition to being a teammate and doing other “domestic details” that need attending). Men, a great way to show your wife you love her (in addition to the constant groping and grunting) is to help her.

#6 Do things the way she would do them

Sherri is meticulous. I’m not. She folds her dirty clothes before she puts them in the hamper. I’m lucky if mine hit the hamper. I used to criticize this. Now I realize that it doesn’t take long to do things her way and it makes me a better man in addition to making our home a better place! She has a certain way she likes her dishes put away. I used to fight it. Now I do it her way. The result = the kitchen looks great and my bride thinks I’m sexy (I have no clue how sexy and dishes go together but they do). I’ve just realized that on most things it’s not worth having a conversation about. Just do it her way when you’re helping her!

So there you go. Six ideas that you can start doing immediately that will create a better marriage and contribute to a better world.