Helping Our Husbands

Last month, at our Mom's Night, we were discussing the call to godliness, that God gives to each one of us.  We looked at various scriptures that speak about godliness, but the one that stood out to me the most was from Proverbs 31.  I was struck by one verse in particular, which although I had read many times before, had never sunk in for its full meaning.  It is in verse 23, and at initial glance it seems out of place from the other verses, but once studied it is powerful ~ here it is, "Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers."   This verse is nestled between verses that talk about the woman who is well prepared and the woman who makes her own dresses.  What does that have to do with her husband being respected?  HE is respected because of who SHE is!

This is where the impact came for me - I have always viewed my role in being my husband's "helper" as something behind the scenes, and I have loved that role.  Whether it is supporting him emotionally (listening and encouraging), physically (love and practical care with food / clothing / etc), or spiritually (praying for him and with him); it has brought me great joy.  But I had not carefully examined before how these practical supports affect him outside the home.  As I have pondered this verse over the past month, I have become increasingly aware of how vital it is that we, as wives, catch the significance.  What we do at behind the scenes at home and with our families - no matter how trivial or unnoticed (by all but God) - will affect the way that our husbands are regarded. 

I am not talking about making our husbands "look good", but specifically wanting us to realize that often we can make the difference as to whether our husbands are looked up to or looked down on.  When Paul gave the requirements for elders in the church, he included the importance of how that man's family was functioning.  We need to respect that the choices we make in the ways we talk to our husbands; the ways we care for them, our homes and our families, really do make a difference.  If we want to truly be more of what, I believe, God desires us as wives to be, then we need to be looking to the best interest of our husbands first, and not ourselves.

Yes, it will fly in the face of the culture we are part of - but good for us - it will just make us shine more brightly than it would have in the past generations.  So, GO SHINE!