So you had a beautiful wedding. Maybe bought a house, and you might even have a cute kid or two. Everything was going as planned. You were never going to be that wife whose husband never apologizes. Your relationship was different! God brought you together, after all.
It was all falling into place. You read great marriage books, you asked for advice, you made it through premarital counseling. You even tried to convince the therapist or pastor that you hardly ever fight, and you were absolutely sure there was enough chemistry to keep sex from becoming a chore, ever. At your wedding, you committed to letting God lead the two of you in your marriage, and the two of you sincerely meant it. What could go wrong with God in control, right?
But now there is something that feels off. You never imagined this could happen. But you feel a coldness creeping into your relationship. You remember that day at your bridal shower when everyone wrote marriage tips for you. On that beautiful day, you read them aloud, but you never thought you would actually need the help. Well, now you do. You knew hypothetically that you’d have struggles, but you didn’t imagine what it would be like to be in the struggles. As you flip through the cards in the bottom of a box in your closet, one, in particular, stand out:
A good marriage is made of two good forgivers.
Well, that is nice, you think. Of course, it’s true, but what do you do if you are the only one who says, “I’m sorry”?
If Your Husband Never Apologizes…
You can still have two good forgivers, even if one spouse is too stubborn to ask for forgiveness. Do you have a husband who never apologizes? Some people just cannot seem to say the words. Is it pride? Is it too hard to admit defeat? Maybe he doesn’t know how to say sorry. Or is it just plain old selfishness? Who knows, but if your husband never apologizes, but will gladly accept your apology, I will understand if you sometimes have to walk outside and scream up to the sky.
Here are three tiny reminders for you if your husband never apologizes. Of course, I can’t begin to know the exact details of your marriage, but here are some things I have found to be helpful in this situation. This type of issue can quickly overwhelm you with all sorts of negative emotions if you aren’t prayerful about it.
1. Don’t freeze him out.
It is so tempting to return evil for evil in this situation, but you must fight against this urge. If you give the cold shoulder, it will bring you further away from your goal, which is to have an intimate and close marriage, right? So stay sweet, because it will only make you feel better about yourself in your quiet moments. That doesn’t mean you have to pretend; pushing your feelings down and acting like nothing is wrong won’t help either. You can be honest and be okay when he does not react to your honesty in the way you hope. Remember, becoming a bitter wife isn’t any fun, and it will just discourage you more. Paying him back with coldness makes the marriage more disconnected.
