I Peter 3:7

As I was reading today I read this verse.  "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."  
I really look to others to instruct me. I do not feel I have the best knowledge of scripture. But over the years I have tried to find out what the scripture is saying to me.  We husbands are to dwell with our wives according to knowledge. It seems to point out that we need to know some things to start with. Does that imply leadership? We see in this country families falling apart. marriages failing.  I know from personal experience. I think I was good at bringing home the bacon so to speak, but knew little else beyond that. Bring home the bacon is part of it, but if that is all we do we are lacking greatly. We need to understand our wives and what is important to them.  That is why this is saying according to knowledge. Do we know what our wife needs from us?  Women need to feel secure. It is not a macho man that makes them feel secure, but is this man concerned about me, how I feel, what I faced today? Am I still number one in his life? Sometimes as young men we feel the world revolves around us as we slay our dragons on the job. What is happening in the home? are we attending to that? what direction are we headed? Where do we want to go? Much of this points to leadership. not the I am the king of this castle and what I say goes. But where do we want to go as a family. What are our goals? What is important to us.  One minister used the word initiators over and over again. The part of this as unto the weaker vessel is also implying a leadership role. We may not be the strongest in budgeting skills, but leadership. We may not be the smartest educationally, but perhaps this is pointing to leadership, initiating.  Living lives together, planned together, not that we are always going to like and do the same things, we are different, but leading through knowledge and having their interest at heart. Honoring them, knowing what is important to them. I have a strong wife. but I still see the need to be that leader. She can get through this stuff alone. She can figure it out, but does she want to? Or does she want my leadership? Being the weaker vessel does not mean they cannot do it. But I really think it points to a leadership role. One man described a partnership he had with a friend in owning an airplane. They were a 50/50 partnership but wisdom said one of them needed to be 51  to the other's 49 so there could be a tie breaker when needed.  I think this is a lot of what this is, the weaker vessel, looking to our leadership in the 51/49 relationship. I look to this 51/49 to represent a leadership role only, not as having more importance. We still need to love our wives as Ephesians 5:25 says, Husbands love you wife as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it.  We are still to love,  lead and honor. You don't honor by being the king of this castle and it is my way or the high way. I think there needs to be a tie breaker only to allow us to initiate and lead in love. To continue to love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us. We need to dwell with them according to knowledge, Are we listening to their wisdom and knowledge. What is it they need from us? A Christ like character, does not run over those around him, but looks to their needs. God watches, and we need to be careful that our prayers are not hindered because we are mistreating a person made in the image of God. Do I really know what my wife wants and needs, am I listening?  God bless, LVZ.