Loving Your Husband: How to be your husband’s supporter

I had a struggle today.

I am at this amazing conference, and my husband had to preach a funeral this afternoon.

I was not there to tie his tie.

I was not there to encourage him or support him or hug him.

I was not there to love on him.

It hurt.

It was the first time I had not been “around” when he had to preach or teach in some way, shape or form. I may not be able to attend the funeral, but I am always there to support him in those ways.

Being a pastor’s wife, even a youth pastor’s wife, brings with it a lot of expectations (on both sides). Ministry can be stressful, as can so many other jobs.

I am fortunate to be able to stay home with my kids and write. My husband is very supportive of me; probably more supportive than I am of him! Being supportive can be really hard when your husband is called out on an emergency, whether as a pastor, police officer, firefighter, doctor, etc.

It does not help that with this economy, times are hard. Some husbands are unemployed or working menial (in their minds) or multiple jobs. This can be stressful on everyone involved. Or they work somewhere they would rather not.

Many men have a strong sense of pride, and if they feel they are not taking care of their family as well as they think they should…. well, that would get anyone down, right?

So, how do we support our husbands?

1) Pray for him. {It’s funny how it all comes back to prayer, huh?} Want to take it one step further? Pray aloud for him, with him, before he goes to work.

2) Encourage him. Men can be very sensitive, and if he hears or sees your encouragement, that can be so uplifting.

3) Offer to be a listening ear. Some men would rather keep work at work, but others may just need someone to vent too. {Don’t we ladies need that sometimes?!} Remember, that your husband may not want to bring his work home with him, so if he does not take you up on your offer, do not see that as rejection. Just remind him that your door and your ears are always open.

4) Tell him you appreciate him. Both of you work hard, and everyone wants to feel appreciated. Let him know you are very appreciative of the work he does to provide for your family.

5) Let him know you are proud to be his wife. Because men have that strong sense of pride, to hear his wife say she is proud of him can really make him feel good. So, tell him!

6) Show up in his work life. Like I said last week, leave him notes in his briefcase, come to his concerts (if he is a musician), make a point to go to some of the dinners/parties/whatever with him. Be as much a part of his “work life” as you can.

Ladies, really, just do your very best. The Bible says to “do unto others as you would want others to do unto you.” This includes your husband.

And what happened with my husband and the funeral? Well, I most certainly prayed for him (multiple times) today. I texted him encouragement. The funeral director tied his tie.

And, when I asked him how it went, he replied, “It went well. God came through like always! Some of the times I feel Him the most are those times when I have to rely on Him the most!”

In what ways can you support your husband this week?

Design by: Amy Loves It! *Photo by: captg*