Loving Your Wife Through Pregnancy and Postpartum – Discipleship for Dads

Women offer their bodies as living sacrifices to bring forth children. Being pregnant doesn’t give them a pass to sin – but it does require an extra measure of grace. How can we provide this, and minister to their weakness in an understanding way? The dads talk about preparing for childbirth emotionally, spiritually, and physically…taking hormonal changes and depression seriously…being steady without being detached…and nurturing your wife with the help of God’s Word.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:06

Welcome friends to Generations Kevin Swanson with you on another segment of Discipleship for Dads with Tom Strausser and Danny Craig, the usual suspects. Thank you, brothers, for joining us today. And we want to talk about loving our wives today through pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, and some at times postpartum issues and such. So um, but first, God has blessed us tremendously with these wonderful wives and our children. Uh, this is a blessing. You are a blessed man. Yeah. Okay, let's start with a wife who wants to have babies. Yeah. Wow. You're blessed. Yeah. And that your wife loves you. Yeah. And that your wife has been faithful through multiple pregnancies. And uh, and she, I mean, how much does she bear? You know, keep coming back to that. I watched my wife and I am amazed, even as yesterday, just seeing her actually caring for one of our daughter's dogs who is uh down pretty badly. She was working uh on the dog's leg for a while and helping the dog, you know, through all this trauma that's uh going through. But she she cares about so much. The fact that my wife is so caring, she she just cares about the children, she cares about the grandchildren, she cares about the dogs. Yeah. I I I sometimes I don't think I care as much. That's a mother. I'm I'm I'm not so attentive binding up the dog's leg, so faithful, so faithful, so caring, so sacrificial. At some point, guys, we need to just stop and say, praise God for these beautiful women.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Yes, praise God, amen.

SPEAKER_03 1:43

And you know, uh Romans 12:1 comes to mind. Uh beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. And in such a real sense, when our wives go through the process of pregnancy and childbirth, they are they're offering their bodies up to the Lord. I talked to my wife, Megan, about this topic, and the phrase that kept coming back is understand your wife is giving her body over. It's being taken over by another human being. It is such a full-body sacrifice. And praise God that they they do that. Um, that's uh tremendous.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Isn't it amazing? You think about it. I mean, like, I'm like, if that happened to me, I don't know if I would respond that well. You know, if my grow and I'm trying to have a hard time walking around, but they do it faithfully. Yeah, and they and they and they and they do it again and again.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Yes, a baby is like leaping out of an airplane. I mean, let's face it. You do take your life into your own hands. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you do, right? I mean, it's significant. Women have been lost in childbirth. Oh, yeah. I mean, tons of times throughout human history. I mean, thanks, thank God there's decent decent medical now. But but it's still a faith challenge. I mean, it takes a little faith to leap out of an airplane and hope the ripcord works.

SPEAKER_03 2:57

Hence being saved through childbearing, which is a pretty big deal.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Massive act of faith. You got it. Well, today uh we're gonna talk about loving our wives through pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, postpartum issues. Uh, and this is where I think understanding your wife really kicks in. First Peter 3 came to my mind immediately. Husbands, here it is. Dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life that your prayers may not be hindered. So, guy, you are responsible to be understanding with your wife, especially through this period of pregnancy, childbirth, et cetera.

SPEAKER_03 3:38

When the weakness is especially highlighted, right? You're right. You're right. The context, the motivation for that is weaker vessel. Well, then you you add another human being to the mix. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Weakness massive. Massive cubed. Yeah. So you're responsible as a guy, as a man before God, you're responsible, you're culpable. Tag your it, man. Be understanding, no excuses. I just sat around, I was just like ignorant, I don't understand this. I'm I was unaware of my wife's issues. I just was dumb about all of this, and that's cool. No, that's not cool.

unknown 4:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Awareness is important.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Awareness is huge. So I think the big things is during pregnancy, those are what we're talking about, is is being present. Right? Being there. That's first. So I mean, they're making all these sacrifices physically in other ways, but we're we're gonna have to make some sacrifices too. I don't know what that's gonna look like in each man's life, but it might mean less time in the business or work or something, but you're gonna need to be present, need to be um attentive to your wife, and also aware, you know, aware. And I it's like, how do you do that? Well, I think you've got to be a good listener. You got to ask questions, draw out like, what is hard right now today, honey? Like, what is difficult? I don't exactly understand, but could you share with me? And then going, oh, okay, yeah, that's difficult for her. What can I do now? And you gotta pick up on the signal, signals.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

Yes. And hopefully you're there are signals here. And and and you know, as men, we often say something like, Well, could you make it really, really, really plain, like in black and white, write it all out for me? I'm sorry, but that's why. She might not be able to, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:08

Yeah. Well, hopefully you're developing that habit ahead of pregnancy, right? So that you are already learning to understand the facial expressions, the mood swings, you know what's going on to a certain extent simply by walking in the room. I mean, different and different women communicate differently. But for me, when I walk into the room, I look at my wife, I'm pretty much know if I should at least ask a question. Yeah. Maybe you shouldn't ask a question. Yeah, yeah, or shouldn't she shouldn't ask a question? Shouldn't be quiet. Exactly, right? And yeah, and but hopefully then when when we move into the the season of pregnancy, that awareness maybe kicks in to another level. I remember before we had our first baby, I heard this um uh one dad comment, and maybe he shouldn't have said this, but he's like, you know, after my wife has her babies, I feel like I get my wife back. And I kind of felt like, oh, that's really harsh. But then I experienced like, no, there there is change. There's a significant change that happens in their overall demeanor and emotions. And wow, that that that if if that's a little bit of a sacrifice for me, imagine how much of a sacrifice that represents for them and to be aware of those things.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Yeah, but we have to be aware to the point where we we know our wives. Yeah. And what one of the biggest blessings I think to a wife, talking to mine and others during pregnancy is having that discernment and then leading. Like, you know, example, if your wife's eight month months pregnant and you're at a dinner party and you can just sense like she needs to go. Like you didn't say, Do you need to go? No, you just know, you know, your wife, and you're like, you know what, we need to go now. I mean, your wife will inevitably say, Well, that was a huge blessing. You knew what I needed and you acted on it. That's the kind of thing we need to do. Proactive.

SPEAKER_02 6:53

Proactive, absolutely. Yeah. Um, let's let's back up to just being prepared for having the child, the delivery. How do you help your wife to be prepared, Danny?

SPEAKER_03 7:05

Well, maybe it starts in my own heart and recognize this is a good season uh to grow in self-sacrificing love. Okay. I'm something different is going to be required of me. So, okay, get that in my brain. And then secondly, um, overall leadership around the conversation regarding children. Um, and so that there is, you know, sometimes there's, you know, maybe, maybe you have a little bit of a what you believe is a Holy Spirit-led plan around children. Um, there's different approaches to this, but the point is you want to be actively engaged in a conversation, sensing your wife's spiritual temperature, the degree of faith, awareness. Are we, are we looking to the Lord in this area of our life? And then uh as the pregnancy occurs, uh, creating space for conversations around preparation. Um, that's one thing my wife mentioned several times. Uh I want to, I want to feel prepared. I want to feel ready. I'm gonna have fears, being engaged in conversations around those fears, being uh bringing the the word and prayer to to bear on those. But um overall, uh, she said, you know, uh the the fact that I'm pregnant doesn't give me a pass for sin, but it does require an extra measure of grace from my husband. Yeah, that's the good way, good way to put it.

SPEAKER_00 8:29

You know, Ephesians 5 tells us to cherish and nourish our wanders. So that's what we're to do. But as you said, that might change a little bit during the pregnancy or even just right after, too, after maybe the child's born. So but no, but still do that. Figure out what that means and that looks like in that season. Might be preparing things, so you know, sort of taking things off of her plate and putting them onto your plate, whatever to whatever capacity you can do that, the preparation um so that so that she's not having to think about that and taking care of herself and the baby. The standard divisions of labor might have to shift in this season.

SPEAKER_02 9:03

And what do we say to a father who thinks, you know, I'm just not qualified for that, I'm not competent to this. You know, now here's what I'm thinking. What I'm thinking is, you know, to your wife's weaknesses, God has provided you strengths to compensate. Amen. I mean, is that fair to say?

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Yeah. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:22

Yeah, you know, let's not let's not be idiots. I'm not going to uh try to take on all the skills of a midwife. No, no. Absolutely not. But um, you know, but spiritually, emotionally. Yes, and to ask your wife, what would you like me to know and understand about this process? So for our first one, we we paid for an additional class to just kind of get me educated to help me understand what childbirth is like. Um, there were physical things that I learned how to do in that class that is, you know, one or two things that now for the next four babies, you know, my wife really appreciates. So like I don't have that big of a toolbox, but I've got three or four things in my toolbox for childbirth as a result of a little bit of extra planning and preparation um that was helpful. So getting some outside counsel, I would encourage that. Yeah. Um, whether whether or not it's from a, you know, a doula or whatever, another woman or couple in the church, getting some input um to grow in your knowledge and reduce that level of ignorance.

SPEAKER_02 10:30

My my wife went through doula training about five, six years ago before our children started having children because she wanted to uh be ready for that. And uh and so she's got videos, she's got all these things that that a lot of these prospective dads as well as moms want to watch, and she gets them ready through the doula program that she's there's two aspects of that.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

I think dad should think of it as this is the time I'm gonna need to learn. Yeah, I'm gonna need to be aware, and also need to be aware of you know, all the even the sort of smaller aspects of just rhythm and timing and what's what's best for our wives. Um so have that knowledge and be ready to, I like that. Be ready to gain knowledge, but also don't lord it over her. Don't become like, I know what's going on with you. And you know, you be gentle, be patient. I mean, in many ways, she's gonna lead this aspect of it. It's her body, it's her thing. So don't become like this technical expert where you're gonna explain everything that's going on. I like to say, you know, don't don't over-medicalize everything, make it all this, you know, because we tend to do that as men, where it's just very black and white to us, but realize this is a very kind of organic thing going on here that uh, you know, kind of goes up and down and changes within 24 hours a lot of times. And so we need to be sensitive to that.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

Having babies, I think, as I recall, was actually a bigger step in our lives than getting married. Getting married is a big deal, pretty significant, really big deal. But if anything, the addition of a member of the family, yeah, a little tiny, you know, the little tiny guy, you know, showing up, that was a pretty that was bigger. It's actually bigger. Yeah, a game changer. And so, how do you prepare a young couple for that? What would you say to a young couple about ready to have their first child taught?

SPEAKER_00 12:17

You know, I would tell them to to their oneness in marriage is is super important right then. Like being on that kind of the being on the same page is kind of the phrase that we we say, but but that oneness of of knowing one another, knowing how to uh work together, how to minister together, because it's gonna really be tested uh with the child. Um, you can talk, you can do a lot of things in advance. You can talk about parenting, you can talk about all of these things before the child comes and being on the same page in that regard. But uh it does go back to to dwelling with your wife and understanding and knowing her.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

The big thing is it's gonna restructure your whole life. I mean, every child restructures things. Danny, what would you say to a young couple?

SPEAKER_03 12:59

Well, hopefully uh your first child isn't your first exposure to children. And what I mean by that is it's it's really helpful for young ladies to be exposed to babies and for young men to be exposed to babies. Um I think one of the I mean, at least in our family, one of the biggest things I can give my wife is the ability to know how to take care of a fussy child. Um at some point like it's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 13:24

She's even have a child with um colic. Colic, right? We we had one or two.

SPEAKER_03 13:30

Yeah, she she's run out of milk. Like, do you do you don't want to be the dad that's like, honey, I don't know what to do with this thing. And and maybe that's where you start, but lean into it.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:40

You can't stay there, dad. Right. Um, the other thing too is um be be aware that the physical intimacy conversation is gonna shift here. And you should just be aware of that. Uh when uh a woman has a a baby in her body, her desires, her that that conversation is gonna shift. And and you need to be gracious in your expectations. Uh you're gonna need to talk through it, right? So I it's not as if you just like don't engage the conversation, but maybe choose another time besides 10 p.m. You know, after she's already exhausted from carrying this other human being all day. Come to an understanding, but do so in an understanding way, knowing that the fact that her body's being poured out for something else is going to change that dynamic of your relationship.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Yeah, and and kind of related to that. Um, we've talked about being present, being close, being attentive, you know, being there for her, holding her, you know, being but there's also you got to know your wife because there, I mean, the there's time some wives might want a little space, you know, in in particular like you're saying, like, and so you have to again have to be discerning of that. You know, does your wife need kind of that time and you give her that space instead of always being you know there and and in in her face kind of thing? So really takes takes discernment. Just talk miscarriage.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

Now our we've never had that. So Todd, you guys, we've we we had eight.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Yeah. Eight. Yeah. That's a lot. Some of them are pretty significant. How do you walk your wife through that? Well, um, I think it's it's really important to to again, like all the things we've talked about, you know, uh be present. I I think it's harder for us to grieve in the same way. There there is a grief, but but I mean what we haven't ex- I mean, you know, we haven't experienced it the same way. This woman has grown this child and you know, to some degree, and and now it's gone. So I think be grieve, that's that's fine, you know, and weep with those who weep. I mean, right? We need to be compassionate that way, but also, you know, be be the steady man, you know, be be the strong man that is there to hold her. Because what I what my wife has said, it just feels like such a time of weakness. Like I failed, I I I'm weak, I should have this shouldn't have happened. And then there's the whole it's a death aspect. So now all of us it's not just a medical thing that was sad, it's like this is real, and that's what that's what we need to be um truly involved in greeting over from a soul perspective there.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

And I I do think the precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

Now, again, theology plays into this, but my theology teaches that our children actually are holy. Right. I know that's that's something very, very difficult for the vast majority of evangelicals to receive. But first Corinthians seven is actually pretty plain on that. Our children are holy, they're hagias, they are the saints. That's right. And the psalms are actually very, very clear. If they are saints, yeah, if they are holy in first Corinthians seven. Then precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of these little ones.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

So I think we we need to we need to at least receive that truth into that comfort and draw into that comfort. Yeah. Danny?

SPEAKER_03 16:59

I like the word uh steady, and I would just say be steady without being detached. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Um and and you that's a balance. You gotta be careful not to deal with your own grief in this stoic way. That's right. Because the it that is the danger is what, honey, do you not care? Like, you know, carest thou not that we perished, you know. Don't isolate. Don't don't isolate. Um, it's a big deal. Um, just recognize, just even if you don't experience a husband as a big deal, it's a big deal. And it's a big deal to your wife, this marit, this miscarriage. So take your time, realize that you're probably going to move on emotionally before your wife will.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 17:38

Um, that's that often becomes a point of conflict. Yes. Um, why are we still crying about this six months later? Yeah. She is.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

And and I just want to say on that.

SPEAKER_03 17:49

That doesn't mean we can't encourage her faith, though. Oh, I also want to say that at the same time. We oh we need we we have to encourage faith, even in our emotional sensitivity.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

I just want to say because of that, a lot of and and I've learned kind of the hard way, and I've seen a lot of dads, we move we want to move too quickly to it's okay, we'll try again, we'll have another child. You know, and it's like you've got to give time for that. That is you can't bring that in right away. That that might that might be a good thing to say at some point, but we don't rush to that.

SPEAKER_02 18:19

Postpartum depression, we're gonna hit this one as well. Uh again, something that we have not had experience with, but I do think in the broader sense, uh, we as husbands absolutely must be there for our wives with whatever emotional situations, the ups and downs, and and and to be sensitive and to walk with them through all of that. That's why we're there. That's a big reason we're there. Yeah. But uh, Todd, any other thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 18:42

I think the biggest temptation we're gonna have as dads with postpartum depression is to minimize it. We're either gonna minimize it or want to medicalize it and say this is just a psychological, emotional thing you kind of need to get through. It's a real thing, it's like a real thing. And so don't minimize it. But also, we need to remember the Lord is close to those who are brokenhearted, and we've got we've got one brokenhearted here. You know, maybe we don't understand exactly why and what's going on, but how can we again be there and be close to I will say my wife responds to the word.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Yeah, I mean my wife responds to the word.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

No question about it. Because it's hopeful. I mean, it's yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

It's hope-filled.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

I mean, her psalm is Psalm 42.

SPEAKER_01 19:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:22

If I just say, Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me, hope thou in God in God for He shows the help of my countenance of my God. If I bring that out, she's immediately, yeah, amen. Yeah, amen to that. Yeah, there's there's something absolutely, you know, medicating, right? About the word of God. It's just it's just like medicine that just seeps through the spiritual veins.

SPEAKER_03 19:44

But you're not just lobbing that into that one situation for the first time in your husbanding experience, right? Like my point is that has to be a consistent theme in our marriage.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

And that's better because another thing we need to be on guard for, because as guys, we're just gonna view this totally differently. So I would say um if your wife's experiencing that, don't try to argue her out of it or reason her, like reason with her. A lot of guys fall into that, right? Right, it's not that bad. Like this, you have so much to be thankful for, you know. That's that's not the the whole reasoning her through it is not gonna be the best approach because we we're just not experiencing what she's experiencing.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

And I think as you as you said, Danny, I think just a constant, not necessarily addressing the specific issue that you believe is the issue, but to to bring in the broader comfort of the Word of God on a regular basis and even throughout the day, and then pray throughout the day. I mean the way in which we've worked through emotional challenges or spiritual attacks is is praying through it, but it's really praying through it over a period of of you know eight hours where we've prayed seven times together. Does that make sense? I know it's not just it's not just one prayer, it's usually seven or eight prayers that get us through this. That's what I've learned.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Yeah, and more than anything, I think dad's we we should be engaging spiritually and spiritually what's happening. Like, are we pointing are we pointing her to the comforter, God? You know, we can we can comfort to some degree, we can, we can, but but that's where where really is gonna come the most rest and peace.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Yeah, Danny, can you speak to this just emotional support um getting through some of this postpartum depression?

SPEAKER_03 22:15

Yeah, uh to be aware, as has been referenced, but there are really significant hormonal shifts. Yes. And that's a reality, and there's a chemistry that's going on here. I think there's like eight hormonal shifts or something, you know, uh that happen through the whole process. Maybe it's more. So so so that that is intense. So I think that awareness uh helps. Um and then I think secondly, uh the Emotional side of it, but then also coming alongside with helping hands and creating the space, creating the margin, creating the bandwidth, doing the preparation for the help. You know, after every pregnancy, we've had the blessing of having, you know, her parents present in town. My mom often comes in town for a week to 10 days. Um, there's maybe freezer meals that are prepared. So the the the physical side of the support, I think, is really important here to allow for a season of healing, physical healing, emotional healing, and to be the intentional dad that has laid the groundwork to some extent, or at least supported the groundwork being laid uh for that.

SPEAKER_02 23:30

The church could come along with the freezer meals, obviously. Um but one of the things I wish the church would do more. We've seen it in our church to some extent. We've but I think to for the young ladies in the church to realize the significance of their helping out with the young with the families having children in the body. I mean, not just for their benefit, because they're going to be having children, Lord willing, in the future as well. But wow to the extent that we're trying to be a church that gets beyond the 1.7 average, which is a dying and dead church, as we're seeing with all of the Western civilization. But to to move from the 1.7 to the 3.8 is is not easy. It's going to take the church, it's going to take the body, it's going to take repentance from the self-centered worldview that doesn't just affect couples, but affects the singles as well. Um, that it's not all about you, and it's not all about your career. It certainly isn't that for the woman who's having the baby. But uh, but the young ladies in the church, I think need to understand that we're all repenting here. We're repenting of this lifestyle that is imploding birth rates and destroying civilization and denying the blessing of children. Yeah. And the requirement that all of us are to lay our ourselves down on the altar as you began this. You know, yes, we are living sacrifices. And it's not just the mom having the baby, it's it's the husband. Yeah. And it's it's it's other members of the church. So yeah, I don't want to pound on this thing, but I'm just saying somehow we're going to have to, you know, move to the point at which uh we are we're living the Christian life out, whether it be the woman having the baby or the rest of us. So we're all on the altar here. Is that right? Can we all say that? Amen.

SPEAKER_03 25:29

Yeah, and and when we read in Titus 2 that the younger women are to love their children, to love their husbands, to be homemakers, yeah. That doesn't start the day you get married. Oh, no, that is that is a big trap, is that the the if our home education philosophy is career-minded, career-minded, career-minded. And then the moment they get married, they get pregnant, they'll be ready. I'm sorry, that is that's not gonna work. And so what I'm trying to say is if we embrace a biblical calling, that's gonna shape our daughter's lives pre-marriage as well. And I experienced the blessing of that personally. I think Megan did. Megan spent um, I don't know, the Martinez family. Yeah, I was just gonna say she's I think she's spent in months. She moved in with you guys were there. I know I was just gonna say, we've had young ladies move in with families. Oh, it was your wife, actually. And and okay, I I think she blessed the Martinez family. I'm sure she did, but you know what? She was blessed. Absolutely. She saw things, she witnessed what uh a heavy-duty post-pregnancy difficulty can be with, be like. And I think to some extent, to a large extent, that prepared her. Uh, she knew what it would be like to have children. And I think that ultimately blessed us as a family. Funny, maybe that's how God designed it.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Yeah. Well, isn't that what Jesus meant when he said, you know, if you want to follow me, you will be servants to all. Yeah. It's like, you know, because young people are thinking about this. I have this time, and I really need to curate it well according to my vision and calling and desires and all that. Well, you know what? You might need to just steward it by giving it for what God has providentially dropped in front of you right then. It wasn't a random accident. God, it's a gift, and we need to all join into these things.

SPEAKER_02 27:16

Talk to the husband. I want to wrap it up this way. Talk to the husband whose wife is going through, you know, the bad period of the month or bad hair day or you know, postpartum depression. She comes home and she's, you know, just you know, and it's all your fault, or you know, whatever. Emotionally tense, extremely emotionally tense. Now, brother, now love your wife as Christ has loved the church and give himself for it. Talk to that, Todd.

SPEAKER_00 27:45

You're gonna, yeah, it's gonna take the patience to to probably a level you haven't lived out.

SPEAKER_02 27:52

You do not be angry with her. Right. Right, you you do not uh abandon like I'm gonna okay, okay, I can't deal with this. I'm going to the basement.

SPEAKER_03 28:00

Yeah. I I I don't always do this right, but I try to step into those situations with a sense of this is what I'm here for. That's right. Amen. This is this is dad time. Yeah. You know, this is why God made me me. And you know, I'm the man for this job, not in a proud sense, yeah, but I'm the man for this job. And uh it's it's a little bit of like game on, like game on. I want to go score a touchdown here. Yeah, and so I walk into that room and I like I almost get this little bit of like a okay, a little bit of a smile in the sense of like, I know where she's at, but it's gonna be okay. You know, God has called me to this. God has called me to this. Um, and so I I don't remove myself emotionally, but I sort of I do kind of look at the situation from a distance. This isn't personal. Right. Step in, hug, affirm, and just start taking care of the babies. Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Yeah, and and and and when we read, you know, husbands lay your lives down um for the church. This is it. I mean, this is one of those times when when we get to step into that and go, this is the biggest thing is just for us to go, it's not about me. Because we're always me centered. Oh, it's what is me, how do I feel? What was I gonna do with my time? It's such a beautiful time to do that and go, well, this is this is a time for me to give fully and serve and and yeah, enjoy it and really, really, and really enjoy it and know, again, know our wives so that we can know practically how to apply that in that time.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

And remember that Jesus loved you and gave himself for you. So now, as you said, game on. Yeah, yeah. Now it's your turn. Yeah. It's okay. It's your turn. This is what we do in the fellowship of Jesus. Well, friends, this has been good. I think we're getting to the heart of it, of what it is for for fathers, for husbands to love their wives. Uh friends, uh, this has been a segment of Discipleship for Dads. Encourage you to uh interact with the program. We're not getting as much interaction. I was thinking a little bit more feedback would be good. Uh not not don't just give us kudos here, but give us some some inputs, friends, at mail at generations.org uh because we want to hear from you on these discussions. It's been edifying for me. Um and I it's growing for me as a husband and father. So, friends, if if you're growing, if you want to grow some more, just uh email us at mail at generations.org. Uh, this is Kevin Swanson, Todd Strasser, and Danny Craig. And we want to invite you back again next time as we continue this discussion and laying down a vision for the next generation. This has been a production of the Generations Media Network. For more information, go to generations.org/slash media.