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WHO SHOULD INITIATE LOVE MAKING IN A MARRIAGE?


I was asked this question recently over Twitter, so it’s not quite anonymous, but well, it was easier to stick with the same graphic.  Plus, I didn’t ask if the questioner wanted to be attributed, so I thought it best to keep it this way.  His question is:

Who should make the first move when it come to sex..the husband or the wife?
Some will say that it’s always the man’s role to initiate, either because he should be the dominant one, or because sex is “for the man”.  But, I’m afraid I’m going to disagree, and I’ll tell you why in a bit, but first, I want to answer the question.  Who should make the first move?  Whomever thinks sex should happen!  No, I did NOT say whomever wants sex.  I said, whomever thinks sex should happen.  Why the distinction?  Because sometimes you know you should have sex, even if you aren’t in the mood at the moment.
So, let’s run down some possibilities.

If you want sex, you should initiate

Pretty simple, right?  Well, some don’t find it so simple.  In fact, I talk to many spouses who say “I keep waiting for my spouse to initiate”, or “I’m waiting for my spouse to be in the mood”.  Some wait a long time for that to happen.  The worst is when you talk to both spouse, and they are each waiting for the other to make a move!  I’ll be honest, this has happened in my marriage as well, and you have to do a face-palm when you realize that the only reason you didn’t have sex that night was because you didn’t initiate!
Now, there are some exceptions to this, of course.  If your spouse is horribly ill, or you’re in the middle of Christmas dinner with your family…maybe wait a bit.  Or, if you are dealing with some sexual issues in your marriage, there are some cases when waiting for the other to initiate can be of value.  However, for the vast majority, you are your own worst enemy.  If you want sex, you should initiate.  Yep, you might get turned down more often…but you might get more sex too.
I’m not really a baseball fan, but I hear Babe Ruth is considered one of the best hitters out there.  I’ve also heard that his hit to miss ratio was terrible, he swung at everything.  But, he also had an impressive amount of home runs, I believe he held a record for a while.  He also said this:
Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. – Babe Ruth
How many of you are letting your fear of rejection get in your way?  I know I do.  I still sometimes do, even though I know better!

If you think your spouse needs sex, you should initiate

Sometimes it’s not you that wants sex, sometimes you recognize that your spouse could really use it, and for whatever reason, they aren’t initiating.  Or maybe you can just beat them to it.  After all, this is a marriage: your in it to serve, or at least you should be.  I’m very blessed to have a wife who thinks about my drive and suggests sex when she thinks I need it.

If you think your marriage needs sex, you should initiate

Sometimes neither of you are “in the mood”, but you know you need it.  Maybe you’ve had an argument, or it’s just been a while and you need to reconnect.  Sometimes you need to recognize what would be best for the marriage, and realize that you’ll probably get in the mood once you get started.  Sex has an amazing ability to heal, to comfort, to bond you together.  That’s why makeup sex exists.  Don’t think sex can be used for comfort?  Go read 2 Samuel 12.  Here’s verse 24 for those who can’t be bothered to read the story:
Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him
2 Samuel 12:24
As well, we need to be careful in our marriages that our times between sex don’t become to long.  It can happen that you have a busy week, and so you aren’t really in the mood for sex.  Then another week goes by.  Then another.  Now it’s been nearly a month, and you’re out of the practice of initiating.  Soon two months goes by.  Next you start noticing all the attractive people around you in your life.  It’s a dangerous scenario.  I think that’s why Paul wrote this:
Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
1 Corinthians 7:5
A marriage without frequent sex has a much higher possibility of infidelity.  It’s not guaranteed (just as it’s not guaranteed that a lot of sex is going to prevent an affair), but it increases your risk.

Shouldn’t the husband initiate?

This is old school mentality.  The idea that men must initiate, either because “sex is for men”, which is rediculous, or because they’re supposed to be dominant, and thus should initiate.  While, I agree that men should be dominant in the relationship, I don’t agree that dominant means initiating 100% of the time.
The Christian paradigm of headship and submission is not about a strong husband dominating a weak wife.  Rather, it is about a strong husband leading a strong wife, who is submissive.  Both leadership and submission should come from a place of strength, from understanding the role God has given you.
I think these people who think the husband should initiate every time believe that somehow, the wife initiating hurts the masculinity.  I think this stems from a false belief that sex is for the men and that the women are merely here to service us.  That a woman has no business actually desiring sex, and that if she does, it makes her more masculine, and thus the husband looks for feminine, or something like that.
But this is absurd.  God created both genders to desire their spouses.  A wife wanting sex is not abnormal, not masculine, not wrong.  It is perfectly healthy.  And if you believe that a wife desiring her husband makes him less of a man…well, I think you have your paradigm upside down.  Actually, you aren’t even in the right ballpark, what makes him a man is that God made him a man.  Period.  Just like what makes a woman a woman, is that God made her that way.  End of story.  Sometimes we forget those facts, and start measuring our gender value in terms of the world’s measuring stick.  This is failing to remember who who our Creator is.
So, should the husband initiate? Yes!  Should the wife?  Yes!  Why not!  Whichever sees a need in the marriage, should jump to fulfill it.
One of the more common areas of sexual dissatisfaction I see in my office is in the area of initiating sexual activity. Complaints of who initiates, how often, and how lovemaking is initiated are common. To help address this concern, this series of articles will address ways to enrich and problem-solve sexual initiation your marriage.
“If we have sex, it’s because I asked for it. I really wish she would approach me sometimes.”
The most common complaint comes from husbands wishing their wives would initiate sex more frequently. While I do work with couples were both initiate sex fairly equally, what is typical is that the spouse with the highest sexual drive generally initiates sex the vast majority of the time. Statistically speaking, this is generally the husband.
- See more at: http://intimatemarriage.org/resources/171-whoinitiatessexualactivityinyourmarriage.html#sthash.gXXQB4Rn.dpuf
One of the more common areas of sexual dissatisfaction I see in my office is in the area of initiating sexual activity. Complaints of who initiates, how often, and how lovemaking is initiated are common. To help address this concern, this series of articles will address ways to enrich and problem-solve sexual initiation your marriage.
“If we have sex, it’s because I asked for it. I really wish she would approach me sometimes.”
The most common complaint comes from husbands wishing their wives would initiate sex more frequently. While I do work with couples were both initiate sex fairly equally, what is typical is that the spouse with the highest sexual drive generally initiates sex the vast majority of the time. Statistically speaking, this is generally the husband.
- See more at: http://intimatemarriage.org/resources/171-whoinitiatessexualactivityinyourmarriage.html#sthash.gXXQB4Rn.dpuf
One of the more common areas of sexual dissatisfaction I see in my office is in the area of initiating sexual activity. Complaints of who initiates, how often, and how lovemaking is initiated are common. To help address this concern, this series of articles will address ways to enrich and problem-solve sexual initiation your marriage.
“If we have sex, it’s because I asked for it. I really wish she would approach me sometimes.”
The most common complaint comes from husbands wishing their wives would initiate sex more frequently. While I do work with couples were both initiate sex fairly equally, what is typical is that the spouse with the highest sexual drive generally initiates sex the vast majority of the time. Statistically speaking, this is generally the husband.
Initiating Receptive
resistant
If we think in terms of roles, we can identify one spouse as the usually initiating and the other as usually receptive. Sometimes, one or both spouses might also be resistant — avoiding or not wanting sex. Surveying couples who attended the Passionate Intimacy Workshop reveals that 69% of husbands identify with the role of initiator. Similarly, 63% of wives generally play the receptive role.
husband's role ----------------Wife Role
This means if you are the husband and feel like you typically initiate sex in your marriage, you are among the majority and, in fact, quite normal. So is your wife. This dynamic is tied pretty closely to the type of desire we experience as males and females. Note that if you are a lower drive male, or a higher drive female, your marriage may seem “backwards” in regards to who initiates. This doesn't make you broken or strange. You are like about 1 in 5 people.
Being “Resistant” for a day or two can be normal and is not wrong in and of itself. Talking through the “why” of these time with your spouse can help you gain a better understanding of what roles you each play and can be part of a healthy intimacy-building process. If you consistently live in the resistant category, however, I recommend you problem-solve for yourself. Do you know why? What are you doing to resolve the block?
What was particularly interesting to me as I reviewed the survey responses was the number of individuals who do not initiate even when they are interested. Of those spouses who identified themselves as primarily receptive, 31% said that even if they were “in the mood” they would generally wait for their spouse to initiate. Over 42% said they would sometimes wait for their spouse to initiate even if they were interested in sex.
There may be a number of reasons for this, but if you tend to wait for your spouse to initiate even when you are “in the mood,” do you know why you wait? Sometimes waiting a bit is best for your marriage. Sometimes it’s not. I do think this is worth talking about as a couple!
Application:
I invite you to have a Working Date as a couple. Discuss the following questions.
  • Which do you think is most characteristic of you in your marriage? Initiating, Receptive, or Resistant? Why do you believe that is most characteristic of you?
  • Do you like this role in your marriage? (Not do you want your spouse to be different, but do you like who you are?)
  • How often do you wait for your spouse to initiate even if you are in the mood? What are your reasons for this
Remember to stay curious. Your spouse is not you and doesn’t think or want like you. Rather than trying to convince them to be something they aren’t, seek to discover who your spouse is.
- See more at: http://intimatemarriage.org/resources/171-whoinitiatessexualactivityinyourmarriage.html#sthash.gXXQB4Rn.dpuf
One of the more common areas of sexual dissatisfaction I see in my office is in the area of initiating sexual activity. Complaints of who initiates, how often, and how lovemaking is initiated are common. To help address this concern, this series of articles will address ways to enrich and problem-solve sexual initiation your marriage.
“If we have sex, it’s because I asked for it. I really wish she would approach me sometimes.”
The most common complaint comes from husbands wishing their wives would initiate sex more frequently. While I do work with couples were both initiate sex fairly equally, what is typical is that the spouse with the highest sexual drive generally initiates sex the vast majority of the time. Statistically speaking, this is generally the husband.
Initiating Receptive
resistant
If we think in terms of roles, we can identify one spouse as the usually initiating and the other as usually receptive. Sometimes, one or both spouses might also be resistant — avoiding or not wanting sex. Surveying couples who attended the Passionate Intimacy Workshop reveals that 69% of husbands identify with the role of initiator. Similarly, 63% of wives generally play the receptive role.
husband's role ----------------Wife Role
This means if you are the husband and feel like you typically initiate sex in your marriage, you are among the majority and, in fact, quite normal. So is your wife. This dynamic is tied pretty closely to the type of desire we experience as males and females. Note that if you are a lower drive male, or a higher drive female, your marriage may seem “backwards” in regards to who initiates. This doesn't make you broken or strange. You are like about 1 in 5 people.
Being “Resistant” for a day or two can be normal and is not wrong in and of itself. Talking through the “why” of these time with your spouse can help you gain a better understanding of what roles you each play and can be part of a healthy intimacy-building process. If you consistently live in the resistant category, however, I recommend you problem-solve for yourself. Do you know why? What are you doing to resolve the block?
What was particularly interesting to me as I reviewed the survey responses was the number of individuals who do not initiate even when they are interested. Of those spouses who identified themselves as primarily receptive, 31% said that even if they were “in the mood” they would generally wait for their spouse to initiate. Over 42% said they would sometimes wait for their spouse to initiate even if they were interested in sex.
There may be a number of reasons for this, but if you tend to wait for your spouse to initiate even when you are “in the mood,” do you know why you wait? Sometimes waiting a bit is best for your marriage. Sometimes it’s not. I do think this is worth talking about as a couple!
Application:
I invite you to have a Working Date as a couple. Discuss the following questions.
  • Which do you think is most characteristic of you in your marriage? Initiating, Receptive, or Resistant? Why do you believe that is most characteristic of you?
  • Do you like this role in your marriage? (Not do you want your spouse to be different, but do you like who you are?)
  • How often do you wait for your spouse to initiate even if you are in the mood? What are your reasons for this
Remember to stay curious. Your spouse is not you and doesn’t think or want like you. Rather than trying to convince them to be something they aren’t, seek to discover who your spouse is.
- See more at: http://intimatemarriage.org/resources/171-whoinitiatessexualactivityinyourmarriage.html#sthash.gXXQB4Rn.dpuf


One of the more common areas of sexual dissatisfaction I see in my office is in the area of initiating sexual activity. Complaints of who initiates, how often, and how lovemaking is initiated are common. To help address this concern, this series of articles will address ways to enrich and problem-solve sexual initiation your marriage.
“If we have sex, it’s because I asked for it. I really wish she would approach me sometimes.”
The most common complaint comes from husbands wishing their wives would initiate sex more frequently. While I do work with couples were both initiate sex fairly equally, what is typical is that the spouse with the highest sexual drive generally initiates sex the vast majority of the time. Statistically speaking, this is generally the husband.
Initiating Receptive
resistant
If we think in terms of roles, we can identify one spouse as the usually initiating and the other as usually receptive. Sometimes, one or both spouses might also be resistant — avoiding or not wanting sex. Surveying couples who attended the Passionate Intimacy Workshop reveals that 69% of husbands identify with the role of initiator. Similarly, 63% of wives generally play the receptive role.
husband's role ----------------Wife Role
This means if you are the husband and feel like you typically initiate sex in your marriage, you are among the majority and, in fact, quite normal. So is your wife. This dynamic is tied pretty closely to the type of desire we experience as males and females. Note that if you are a lower drive male, or a higher drive female, your marriage may seem “backwards” in regards to who initiates. This doesn't make you broken or strange. You are like about 1 in 5 people.
Being “Resistant” for a day or two can be normal and is not wrong in and of itself. Talking through the “why” of these time with your spouse can help you gain a better understanding of what roles you each play and can be part of a healthy intimacy-building process. If you consistently live in the resistant category, however, I recommend you problem-solve for yourself. Do you know why? What are you doing to resolve the block?
What was particularly interesting to me as I reviewed the survey responses was the number of individuals who do not initiate even when they are interested. Of those spouses who identified themselves as primarily receptive, 31% said that even if they were “in the mood” they would generally wait for their spouse to initiate. Over 42% said they would sometimes wait for their spouse to initiate even if they were interested in sex.
There may be a number of reasons for this, but if you tend to wait for your spouse to initiate even when you are “in the mood,” do you know why you wait? Sometimes waiting a bit is best for your marriage. Sometimes it’s not. I do think this is worth talking about as a couple!
Application:
I invite you to have a Working Date as a couple. Discuss the following questions.
  • Which do you think is most characteristic of you in your marriage? Initiating, Receptive, or Resistant? Why do you believe that is most characteristic of you?
  • Do you like this role in your marriage? (Not do you want your spouse to be different, but do you like who you are?)
  • How often do you wait for your spouse to initiate even if you are in the mood? What are your reasons for this
Remember to stay curious. Your spouse is not you and doesn’t think or want like you. Rather than trying to convince them to be something they aren’t, seek to discover who your spouse is.
- See more at: http://intimatemarriage.org/resources/171-whoinitiatessexualactivityinyourmarriage.html#sthash.gXXQB4Rn.dpuf
One of the more common areas of sexual dissatisfaction I see in my office is in the area of initiating sexual activity. Complaints of who initiates, how often, and how lovemaking is initiated are common. To help address this concern, this series of articles will address ways to enrich and problem-solve sexual initiation your marriage.
“If we have sex, it’s because I asked for it. I really wish she would approach me sometimes.”
The most common complaint comes from husbands wishing their wives would initiate sex more frequently. While I do work with couples were both initiate sex fairly equally, what is typical is that the spouse with the highest sexual drive generally initiates sex the vast majority of the time. Statistically speaking, this is generally the husband.
Initiating Receptive
resistant
If we think in terms of roles, we can identify one spouse as the usually initiating and the other as usually receptive. Sometimes, one or both spouses might also be resistant — avoiding or not wanting sex. Surveying couples who attended the Passionate Intimacy Workshop reveals that 69% of husbands identify with the role of initiator. Similarly, 63% of wives generally play the receptive role.
husband's role ----------------Wife Role
This means if you are the husband and feel like you typically initiate sex in your marriage, you are among the majority and, in fact, quite normal. So is your wife. This dynamic is tied pretty closely to the type of desire we experience as males and females. Note that if you are a lower drive male, or a higher drive female, your marriage may seem “backwards” in regards to who initiates. This doesn't make you broken or strange. You are like about 1 in 5 people.
Being “Resistant” for a day or two can be normal and is not wrong in and of itself. Talking through the “why” of these time with your spouse can help you gain a better understanding of what roles you each play and can be part of a healthy intimacy-building process. If you consistently live in the resistant category, however, I recommend you problem-solve for yourself. Do you know why? What are you doing to resolve the block?
What was particularly interesting to me as I reviewed the survey responses was the number of individuals who do not initiate even when they are interested. Of those spouses who identified themselves as primarily receptive, 31% said that even if they were “in the mood” they would generally wait for their spouse to initiate. Over 42% said they would sometimes wait for their spouse to initiate even if they were interested in sex.
There may be a number of reasons for this, but if you tend to wait for your spouse to initiate even when you are “in the mood,” do you know why you wait? Sometimes waiting a bit is best for your marriage. Sometimes it’s not. I do think this is worth talking about as a couple!
Application:
I invite you to have a Working Date as a couple. Discuss the following questions.
  • Which do you think is most characteristic of you in your marriage? Initiating, Receptive, or Resistant? Why do you believe that is most characteristic of you?
  • Do you like this role in your marriage? (Not do you want your spouse to be different, but do you like who you are?)
  • How often do you wait for your spouse to initiate even if you are in the mood? What are your reasons for this
Remember to stay curious. Your spouse is not you and doesn’t think or want like you. Rather than trying to convince them to be something they aren’t, seek to discover who your spouse is.
- See more at: http://intimatemarriage.org/resources/171-whoinitiatessexualactivityinyourmarriage.html#sthash.gXXQB4Rn.dpuf
One of the more common areas of sexual dissatisfaction I see in my office is in the area of initiating sexual activity. Complaints of who initiates, how often, and how lovemaking is initiated are common. To help address this concern, this series of articles will address ways to enrich and problem-solve sexual initiation your marriage.
“If we have sex, it’s because I asked for it. I really wish she would approach me sometimes.”
The most common complaint comes from husbands wishing their wives would initiate sex more frequently. While I do work with couples were both initiate sex fairly equally, what is typical is that the spouse with the highest sexual drive generally initiates sex the vast majority of the time. Statistically speaking, this is generally the husband.
Initiating Receptive
resistant
If we think in terms of roles, we can identify one spouse as the usually initiating and the other as usually receptive. Sometimes, one or both spouses might also be resistant — avoiding or not wanting sex. Surveying couples who attended the Passionate Intimacy Workshop reveals that 69% of husbands identify with the role of initiator. Similarly, 63% of wives generally play the receptive role.
husband's role ----------------Wife Role
This means if you are the husband and feel like you typically initiate sex in your marriage, you are among the majority and, in fact, quite normal. So is your wife. This dynamic is tied pretty closely to the type of desire we experience as males and females. Note that if you are a lower drive male, or a higher drive female, your marriage may seem “backwards” in regards to who initiates. This doesn't make you broken or strange. You are like about 1 in 5 people.
Being “Resistant” for a day or two can be normal and is not wrong in and of itself. Talking through the “why” of these time with your spouse can help you gain a better understanding of what roles you each play and can be part of a healthy intimacy-building process. If you consistently live in the resistant category, however, I recommend you problem-solve for yourself. Do you know why? What are you doing to resolve the block?
What was particularly interesting to me as I reviewed the survey responses was the number of individuals who do not initiate even when they are interested. Of those spouses who identified themselves as primarily receptive, 31% said that even if they were “in the mood” they would generally wait for their spouse to initiate. Over 42% said they would sometimes wait for their spouse to initiate even if they were interested in sex.
There may be a number of reasons for this, but if you tend to wait for your spouse to initiate even when you are “in the mood,” do you know why you wait? Sometimes waiting a bit is best for your marriage. Sometimes it’s not. I do think this is worth talking about as a couple!
Application:
I invite you to have a Working Date as a couple. Discuss the following questions.
  • Which do you think is most characteristic of you in your marriage? Initiating, Receptive, or Resistant? Why do you believe that is most characteristic of you?
  • Do you like this role in your marriage? (Not do you want your spouse to be different, but do you like who you are?)
  • How often do you wait for your spouse to initiate even if you are in the mood? What are your reasons for this
Remember to stay curious. Your spouse is not you and doesn’t think or want like you. Rather than trying to convince them to be something they aren’t, seek to discover who your spouse is.
- See more at: http://intimatemarriage.org/resources/171-whoinitiatessexualactivityinyourmarriage.html#sthash.gXXQ

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