Jenifer's Perspective: The Power of a Wife's Respect

One of the greatest joys of my life is to watch God do miracles in the lives of women who choose to obey Him and trust His ways, even when their emotions or circumstances would push them in a different direction.

A great example is Cathy (not her real name), a new friend of mine who is three years into a marriage that has become cold, distant, and terribly unsatisfying.  She expressed to me her desire to do things God’s way so I pointed her toward scriptures like I Peter 3:1-4, where God instructs women to “be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.”

So Cathy started asking God to show her ways to win her husband back without words.  And God gave her ideas.  For example, she finally got around to unpacking their new apartment, something she knew her husband desired.  It amazed her how blessed he was and how his heart turned toward her a bit.

I had told her about how husbands enjoy “shoulder-to-shoulder time” with their wives; time spent together while not necessarily saying anything.  So, she started sitting with him while he plays video games, even though she has no interest in such things.  And he began to warm up even further.

Every day she is praying that God would give her more and more ways that she can proactively change the climate of her marriage.

Cathy is my hero…she obeyed God, saw changes in her circumstances, and is praising Him for His activity in her life and home.  Her story is encouraging, but it doesn’t mean that everything is perfect; she and her husband still have many challenges.  But she has the confidence that God is walking through this with her.

I pray that I can always remember that God is into the littlest details and that He desires to lead us to do specific but simple things to impact our most treasured relationships.  He’ll do it if we’ll just get ourselves out of the way and listen to Him!

Blessings,

Jen

Jenifer Johnson is the other, better half of Barrett Johnson, Minister to Young Marrieds and Families.