Support Each Other - Crosswalk Couples Devotional - October 27

Support Each Other
By Carrie Lowrance

“A worthy wife is a crown for her husband; but a disgraceful woman is like cancer to his bones.” - Proverbs 12:4

One of the keys to success in a marriage is supporting one another. If we are called to be worthy and a crown for our husbands and not be disgraceful, we need to show them support.

Our husbands are the heads of our households, our providers, and our protectors. They work hard and there are many ways we can support them. One of the best ways to do this is to pray for them daily. Having daily prayer and Bible study time together is important too.

Showing our husband's respect is also very important. They crave our respect more than anything else. Sit down and write your husband a letter about all the things you respect about him and leave it somewhere where he will find it.

Support his efforts to climb the corporate ladder, find a better job, or start a side hustle or new business. Encourage him through your words and actions. Let him know he will ace that interview or that he is on the right track with the research he is doing for his new business. If he is going through a rough spot at work or is in between jobs, assure him you are content with his efforts and that you don’t think any less of him. Never be rude or spiteful, no matter how tough things get.

Spend time together. Plan a date night or cook something special at home, send the kids to Grandma’s, and spend some time connecting with each other. Talk about the issues that need discussed right now and talk about your plans for the future. Let him know you appreciate everything that he does for you and your family.

We can also show our husband's support in everyday life by doing the little things. Making sure dinner is close to being ready when he gets home, doing his laundry, or calling and scheduling an appointment to get his car into the garage are some little things. Take fifteen minutes to yourselves each night, lock your bedroom door, and talk about your day. You can talk over the events of each day and offer support to each other every night.

When things are difficult, we should never act in a way that would disgrace our husbands. Say gossiping to a friend about our problems or putting them on social media. Doing these things causes cancer to eat away at our relationships with our husbands because now everyone is up in our business.

Still, support in a marriage is a two-way street.

Husbands can show their appreciation and support of their wives as well. If your wife is truly a crown for you, let her know. Write her a letter or buy her a card and write a personal sentiment. Buy her a gift just because you love her so much. Do the dishes, clean the house, wash her car, or let her have some alone time without the kids. These are all ways you can show your appreciation for her.

Show your support by praying with her and for her, encouraging her, and letting her pursue that “dream” she has that may not be bringing in much or any income yet. Let her know you have faith in her and believe in her and that the Lord will use her talents for great things. If she comes to you with a problem, listen. You just being there can be the best support there is. Wives, this goes for husbands too.

Supporting each other in a marriage is a two-way street. It is always important to watch out for each other and step in to support each other when needed. When you see each other becoming stressed because of daily life, take these steps to help each other.

• Ask each other what they need right now. (He may need a few minutes alone to decompress after work; she may need him to start dinner.)
• Do the “thing” that your spouse needs.
• Encourage each other
• Spend some time together.
• Surprise each other with a letter, gift, or card to show your love, appreciation, and support.

Carrie Lowrance is a writer and author. Her work has been featured on Huffington Post, The Penny Hoarder, Crosswalk, and Same Journey. She is also the author of two children's books, Don't Eat Your Boogers (You'll Turn Green) and Brock's Bad Temper (And The Time Machine). You can find out more about Carrie and her writing at www.carrielowrance.com.

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