But sometimes it feels like a whole lot of work that we have no strength to do, doesn’t it?
So when I saw my hard-working husband down and out on a day when I was already in that weighed-down place myself, I chose to look the other way. I chose to put my needs first.
I left him without his ezer, his helper.
It was a selfish choice that I’m ashamed to say I make often when I’m already stressed. And I wonder, why do I make this choice? What is it that feels so hard about being a warrior wife? What secret am I missing?
The secret to being a warrior wife lies in our perspective.
“It’s who we are, not a role we play!” ~ Dana James
When I see being a warrior wife as a job I need to do, it’s easy for me to let it slide on the days when I’m worn out or discouraged. It’s easy for me to call it “too hard.” But when I see being a warrior wife as part of my very identity, as a reflection of God’s character that comes not from trying harder, but from yielding to the Spirit, then I’m left with no excuses.
It is who I am called to be in Christ, and it’s who you are called to be in Christ, too, friend. Don’t leave your husband without the helper he really needs.
You were created for this and in Christ, you are equipped for this.
Let’s be warrior wives who fight the right kind of battles, not against our husbands, but for them.
Let’s do battle on our knees and in our war rooms against the real enemy.
Let’s choose to aid rather than to ignore.
Be an ezer. Fight!
~ This devotional is an excerpt from the book, Hope for the Hurting Wife by Rebekah Hallberg and Jen Stults.
This article originally appeared here.
Inspiration for this devotional came from Dana James’s talk “Being a Very Strong Helper” at Transformed 2016 (Central Conference) and was used with permission from Dana. If you’d like to connect more with Dana, she writes at The Prime Rib, a website for minister’s wives in Tennessee.
For a practical take on how to encourage a discouraged husband (and how NOT to), try this one from Club 31 Women.
