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Key Bible Verse: Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life ( 1 Peter 3:7 ). Bonus Reading: Genesis 29:1-12

You were given a strong back and broad shoulders for good reason. And for non-physical burdens, like income taxes or home security, tell your wife, "Don't worry about that."

Even with jobs normally in your wife's sphere, you can serve. Are the dishes done? Does the toilet paper need changing? Never ask, "Whose turn is it to change the diaper?" In your mind it should be your turn, no matter how messy it is. No, you won't have to change it every time; that's not the point. Your heart seeks to serve; it doesn't search for a way out.

As a young father, it helped immensely to repeat to myself, "I can always wash my hands." It seems that the most helpful forms of servanthood require the messiest activities. From infant fecal explosions to greasy cooking messes to head-lice treatments, getting my hands covered with something awful is a requirement for duty. When the last tape is pressed on the Pampers, when the bottom of the grease trap is reached, when the final nit is picked, then I can pause to wash my hands. Each stain reminds me of service, and washing foretells my next act of service, preparing me once again to give up my rights to comfort and clean hands.

—Bryan Davis in The Image of a Father

My Response: One way I could lend a hand to a family member today is …

Thought to Apply: Love is not only something you feel. It's something you do.—D. DAVID WILKERSON (evangelist )

Adapted from The Image of a Father (AMG, 2004) by permission.

Copyright © 2006 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Your Son taught us, Lord, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Help me to believe it and apply it in my own family.

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