The majority of you would agree that your husband does things that upset you. I asked the chat room to give some examples of how their husbands upset them by failing to do something over and over again and how they handle it as godly, submissive wives. I used to handle it poorly. If Ken failed to pick up his newspapers after reading them, putting the toilet seat down, or not pick up his clothes, I would nag him about it (just as a mother would) until he obeyed me. Now, I now this is wrong for the greatest of all is the servant of all.

Here are what some of the women shared:

“Putting the toilet seat down. I know this is probably the oldest argument of all time. But it’s alive and well In my house. I just put it down and move on. He only does it like 30% of the time.”

“I’d say refill the glass bottles we keep in the fridge for him. He empties them and then leaves them on the counter and gets a bit cranky when there’s no cold water for him. So I try to make sure either myself or my daughter fills them back up when we do dishes.”

“Leaving glasses of water in the bedroom. I bring them downstairs to the kitchen.”

“Filling the ice trays and picking up his socks from wherever he sits down after work! Happy to do it!”

“Leave his socks on the ground. He will be sitting on the couch and decide to take his socks off and leaves them there. I’ll pick them up without comment.”

“There are so many ladies who would love to have any or even all of these ‘problems’, because they don’t have a husband. I am so grateful for every opportunity to serve my husband.”

“Putting dishes next to the sink rather than in the sink or the dishwasher and putting his socks on the floor rather than into the hamper. I used to complain and correct him but I realized that wasn’t working so now I just do it. Every time I see it I still have a moment of wanting to correct him, but then I hold my tongue, take care of whatever it is, and it’s done. No harm, no foul :)”

“My husband leaves his work clothes (dirty) from his bag, I remind myself that it’s a blessing because he has a job.”

“Leaves dirty underwear all over! And socks. Sometimes next to the laundry basket and never in. I am used to it but occasionally when I get stressed I bring it up and always regret it.”

“Cleaning up empty bottles/cans, putting away hygiene products (deodorant, shaving cream, etc), picking up clothing, putting shoes away, hanging coat up, and trying to organize things he leaves laying around. I used to complain about all these things. I never do anymore.”

“Leaves the empty toilet roll sitting on top of the bathroom bin (we have a strict recycling policy in our house which requires the roll being taken out to recycling area). Also leaving socks next to the bed on floor; now we laugh about it and say he’s made a ‘nest’ for me (sometimes it takes me a couple days to get to ). It’s so much more peaceful in our home than having me stomp around huffing and puffing like a spoiled child!!!”

“He leaves cabinet doors open and a host of other things that just don’t matter. One day the LORD brought to mind a movie we’d watched together years earlier called ‘Signs’ with Mel Gibson. It’s a decent secular movie with a lot of meaning. (Sci fi). In any event, the obnoxious things the members of the family did ended up saving their lives at the end of the movie, and the wife who died in beginning of the film had a vision of such. I’ve always thought that it’s such a statement about loving people right where they are.”

“My husband doesn’t push in his chair after he gets up from the dinner table. It drove me crazy but I just made it one of my sons after dinner chores to push in all the chairs when we wipe off the table.”

“Leaves chip bags open on the counter. When he notices me putting them back he apologizes but I tell him it’s not a big deal and I don’t mind.”

“Actually, there are a lot of things…I used to let it get to me and I would nag him but it never changed. Then I figured, there is no point in nagging and getting upset. Life is short. There is no point in wasting time on little things, so I learned to just clean up and fix things. Plus, there are things that I do that annoy him, so I’m not perfect, either. I try to work on things that bother him (like making sure the drawers are closed!!!), but we all have our quirks. It’s definitely more loving to be servants rather than being nags.”

“Clean up his clothes and shoes out of the floor, emptying and putting away the stuff from his cooler when he gets home from work and anything he leaves on the table after dinner…just to name a few. It has never bothered me to clean up after him. ❤”

“These little things are truly not worth the fuss when you stop and think about it. Imagine complaining to someone who had recently lost their husband; they would think it petty and would gladly and joyfully clean up any mess their husband made if only they could have him back! Perspective!!”

“Thank you all for posting these examples. It has helped me tremendously to know that great husbands can still be untidy and we can have joy serving them!”

We are called to be keepers at home, along with help meets to our husbands. The faster you change your attitude about picking up and cleaning after him, the more joyful you will become and the better your marriage will be!

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Matthew 23:11