Last week we began discussing spiritual leadership in the home and our desires as wives for our husbands are to take the lead. We first looked at the importance of guarding our heart by having a heart of gratitude. One way you can do that is by journaling all the things you appreciate about him. Having a hard copy will give you something to refer back to when you aren’t feeling so appreciative. Guarding your heart from negativity places you in the position to love, bless and enjoy your husband for all the things you love about him.
When we think about creating spiritual leadership in our marriage, it may be time to ask ourselves the hard question, “Do I let my husband lead?” As a strong woman, I can have a take charge attitude that Bruce has found a bit intimidating. In our conversation about this topic, he shared that he felt unsure as to how to lead me spiritually. So you, as a strong mom and wife, want to pray and ask the Lord for a good time to talk together about your spiritual life, together as a couple and family. Be sure to acknowledge that husbands and wives have different ideas about what spiritual connection is. So ask him what he thinks your spiritual times should look like. It’s critical to create a safe environment for him to share. Affirm him. Be gentle and let him express his opinions freely, without judgment, verbal or facial expressions.
Hopefully, this productive, loving conversation will produce some first steps to building spiritual intimacy in your marriage. Is it easy? No. But search your heart for insights about your role as follower. Think about what it would look like for you to support his attempts and give him space to lead. Remember that it’s God’s desire for you to experience spiritual intimacy in marriage, and He is the all powerful one that can bring this to fruition. Our job is to pray for our husband and model Christ likeness in our gentleness and our willingness to be led spiritually.
