Day 7: A Wife’s Prescription to Connecting with Her Husband

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Sex was a problem.

Steamy chemistry ignited first romance with my husband and sealed our marriage.  It was like magic.  Fifteen years later, where was it now?

Somehow we had slipped into a place of misery.

My gestures of love for him were met with hostility.  The ways I knew to show my love didn’t include physical intimacy.  We were at odds.

As his frustration grew, his talking ceased.  I felt rejected.  Who wants to make love when you feel misunderstood and empty?

Our shared belief in the Lord was still in place.  However, strife continued in spite of doing all the God-stuff: attending church, Bible study, etc.  I tried to be the Proverbs 31 wife.  (Have you ever noticed that there’s nothing in that list that mentions sexual intimacy?)

Why couldn’t we connect?  For a long season, we prayed to understand the invisible barrier that kept us from sharing our original spicy allure.

The Lord heard and slowly guided us to treasured wisdom.

“…inclining your heart to understanding; …if you seek wisdom like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God,” Proverbs 2:2-5.

Counseling didn’t quite work.  Books helped some.  Then the Lord sent a marriage class into our life.  The insight was stunning.

It boiled down to this.  The invisible barrier between our hearts included two parts:  my husband’s unwillingness to talk freely with me and my unwillingness to have sex with him.

The secret to our magic’s disappearance?  We emotionally connect in two totally separate ways.  Conversation is my key and sex is his.  If neither of these is happening, we are miserable.

Call me clueless.  It had never dawned on me that sex was anything more than a physical release, certainly not an emotional experience.  Sex is my husband’s most intimate conversation.

Once we understood that sexual intimacy and emotional intimacy are interwoven, we began tearing down the barrier and presto! The magic started to reappear.

This sounds so simple, right?  Years of embroiled bitterness made it hard for us to see clearly.  That’s why it’s OK to seek outside help if you are reaching a point of desperation in your marriage.

God’s design of our complementary natures is amazing!

Males and females have differences far below the surface of our genitals.  Our brains and bodies biochemically crave and function differently.

The complementary cravings of husband and wife work together to fill in each other’s weak spots.

A low libido wife doesn’t crave sexual intimacy.  However, it is most excellent for her physical, emotional and, yes even spiritual health.  A husband might not crave emotional intimacy through conversation.  However, it promotes health for him, too.

Knowing my husband’s key to emotional intimacy was sex and that sex is really good for both of us, I had some work to do.  I had to figure out the trick to convincing myself to engage in sex while not having much of a sex drive.

I started to see that every interaction with my husband, not just conversation, helps me to emotionally bond.  Since he travels frequently for business, we had to optimize together-time.    Increased connection in all areas of our life meant my increased interest in practicing steamy bedroom unity.

My husband started seeing the correlation, too.  He no longer begrudged hanging out exclusively with me and started talking up a storm!  He took much more interest in me outside of the bedroom.

 A low libido wife’s simple prescription for restoring magic.

There are no tricks or rocket science involved.

Spend time together, a lot of time, preferably one on one.  I know with young families this isn’t an easy feat.

~ Pray together.  #1 priority.  Pray about your sexual disconnect, if it’s present.

~God’s Word.  Early morn or late evening, read a verse or two out loud and discuss.

~ Play together.  Date nights, fly kites, fish, ride bikes, blow bubbles, etc.

~ Work together.  Do home maintenance projects together or run errands together.

~ Praise each other.

~ Discuss your dream vacation or your bucket list of experiences to fulfill.

Have an attitude of unity.

 ~ Choose not to judge or be offended.  When you were first dating, no one flinched when deepest darkest secrets were revealed. Open your mind to another’s point of view.  It’s neither right nor wrong.  It’s just different.

~Choose to satisfy.  Your spouse’s needs are probably not much different from when you first married.  Remember the magic?  You were happily meeting that desire then, and you can again.  Discuss what this means with one another.  It may be sex, but it may be something else, too.

Decide to make love in spite of low libido but address the low drive.

Reasons for low libido include:

Lack of emotional connection

Lack of understanding regarding sex

Lack of experiencing pleasure during sex

Past abuse

Imbalance of hormones

Stress/Anxiety

Chronic illness/Physical pain

Exhaustion

See a doctor for a physical assessment.  If emotional issues are too overwhelming, seek outside help.  I also highly recommend the book, “Intimacy-100 Day Guide,” by Dr. Douglas Weiss.

Final Thoughts

Every marriage is different – but if sex is a sore spot in your marriage, it’s time to take stock.  Unity in marriage means the desires of both are taken seriously, even if you don’t understand them.

Happy marriages gain more than earthly contentment and physical pleasure.  United marriages build stronger families, which in turn create healthier future husbands and wives.  Hurting marriages often have only the strength to tend to their own wounds.

Healthy marriages are part of Christ’s team of ambassadors.  Much of the time, sexual connection is crucial to a healthy marriage.

“….Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace be with you,” 2 Corinthians 13:11.