Save Your Husband the Biblical Way

A number of years ago, I fell into the trap of feeling I was responsible for "saving" my husband. I didn't think of it that way, but emotionally, my feelings were best characterized by the word "desperation," because I felt I had to discover the way to get my husband to change his mind. I left tracts around where he would see them, and argued with him.

After probably a year or more of this, and of being met (naturally!) with resistance and resentment from my poor husband, I realized I was not following what the Holy Scripture teaches about wife/husband relationships. I apologized to my husband, and immediately stopped trying to change his beliefs. He immediately became more supportive of my Lutheran faith, and now, some 8-9 years later, though he is not a member or a believer, he comes to church with me every Sunday, has an open dialogue with our pastor, and is accepting in every way of having Christ be a part of our family life (i.e., table prayer, etc.).

Now that I have stopped disobeying God's word with regard to nagging one's spouse to the faith, I have seen a large part of my husband's resistance to godly things fade away. I tell him, "I hope that someday you will believe, but even if you never do, I will love you anyway and be a good wife. I wouldn't love you any more than I do now even if you became a pastor!" This made him feel very good!

--Beth Nieman

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