Motherhood and marriage are full of beautiful, sacred moments—but they can also bring exhaustion, self-doubt, and questions we didn’t expect. One verse in Titus used to confuse me, until life gave me the very lesson it was trying to teach.

---

“These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes…”
— Titus 2:4–5

For as long as I can remember, I would read this verse and pause—confused.
Train younger women to love their husbands and children? That part never made sense to me.

Isn’t love natural? Isn’t it something that just happens?

Then, life changed.

I found myself holding not just one, but two little boys under the age of two. Life was loud. Messy. Exhausting. Beautiful, yes—but also overwhelming in a way I had never known.

And slowly, I began to understand.

Yes, I love my boys deeply. Fiercely.
But if I’m being honest, there are days I don’t love being a mom.
When I’m stretched thin and my patience is gone before breakfast, I don’t feel loving.
And when I’ve poured everything I have into mothering, there’s often nothing left in the tank to give my husband.

After talking through all of this with a friend, something clicked:
Love isn’t just a feeling. It’s a choice. A practice. An action.

The Bible makes this crystal clear in 1 Corinthians 13. It’s not just poetic—it’s practical.
It’s the blueprint.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:4–7

Maybe, just maybe, when Titus says women need to be taught to love,
it’s not about feeling more affection—it’s about learning how to love through our actions.

---

So what does that look like in the day-to-day?

With our children:

• Be patient when they ask the same question for the tenth time.
• Be kind even when we’re worn thin.
• Don’t be rude or harsh, even in discipline.
• Let go of the need to always control everything.
• Don’t be irritable when chaos reigns.
• Forgive their mistakes—don’t drag up yesterday.
• Don’t say “I told you so.”
• Never give up on them.
• Keep believing in them.
• Stay hopeful in hard seasons.

With our husbands:

• Be patient when communication is hard.
• Be kind even when you feel unseen.
• Don’t speak with sarcasm or contempt.
• Don’t demand your own way.
• Offer grace in moments of frustration.
• Let go of scorekeeping and old arguments.
• Don’t rejoice in being “right” at his expense.
• Believe in him, even on his low days.
• Keep hope alive in your marriage.

---

This kind of love isn’t always easy.
It’s not always natural.
But it is powerful.
And it can be taught.

That’s why the Titus 2 model matters—not because women don’t love their families,
but because living out love in action, day after day, takes support and intentionality.

So if you’re in a season where the feeling of love feels far away, don’t despair.
You’re not broken. You’re not failing. You’re just in the trenches.
And even here—especially here—love can grow.

One choice.
One act.
One prayer at a time.

---

Hope. Faith. Love.

And the greatest of these is… love in action.

---

✨ Let’s talk about it:

Have you ever wrestled with this verse from Titus 2? What does love-in-action look like in your life right now?
Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear from you.