People who grow up with low self-esteem, often find it difficult to apologize.  To them, an apology seems to be a sign of weakness.  In reality, apologizing enhances one's self-esteem. 

People respect the man or woman who is willing to take responsibility for their own failures. Receiving the respect and admiration of others thus enhances how we feel about ourselves. 
 
On the other hand, those who try to hide or excuse wrongful behavior will almost always lose the respect and affirmation of others.      

A sincere apology is always a sign of maturity, not a sign of weakness.       

Apology opens the door to forgiveness.  And forgiveness means that we can now continue to grow in our relationship. 

It's never too late to learn to apologize.

#2 Be Compassionate     

Have you ever seen your wife suffering, but you don't know what to do about it? Some men become impatient with that. Others feel so at a loss or overwhelmed by it that it causes them to withdraw. If you recognize that happening to you, ask God to give you a heart of compassion. To be compassionate toward your wife is to have a deep sympathy for any area in which she suffers and to have a strong desire to alleviate that suffering.
 
Part of being compassionate has to do with simply lis­tening. That means being able to listen without having that faraway look in your eyes that says, "I have more important things to do. Let's get this over with quickly."      

Your wife is not expecting you to fix everything. She just needs to know that you hear her heart and care about how she feels.

Pray that God will give you a heart of compassion toward your wife and the patience to listen to her when she needs you to do so. It's a fine art worth cultivating. It can get you places with her where you've dreamed of being.

#3 Be Loving     

Jesus loves us with fidelity, purity, constancy, and passion no matter how imperfect we are. If a man doesn't love his wife in that same way, he will abuse his authority and his headship and as a result will abuse her. Because you are one with your wife, you must treat her the way you would your own body. You wouldn't do anything to deliberately hurt or destroy it. You love it and care for it. "Let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself" (Ephe­sians 5:33).      

You have no idea how much your love means to your wife. Don't withhold it from her, or one way or another you will lose her. The Bible says, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so" (Proverbs 3:27).      

Ask God to increase your love for your wife and enable you to show it in a way that makes her beautiful.

Taken from The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian. Published by Harvest House Publishing.