30 Day Challenge | Husband Encouragement Challenge For Wives | Day 2

30 Day Challenge

Husband Encouragement Challenge For Wives

Day 1

{ Devotional }

"...through love serve one another." Gal. 5:13b 

How did you do yesterday with your first day of blessing and encouraging your husband? Was it easy? Was it hard to hold your tongue when you wanted to say something negative? We hope you're off to a good start. (If you blew it, don't give up - start again today!) There are so many practical things you can praise, if you look for them. 

Today, find some way that your husband is serving you or your family. Does he help around the house? Take care of the car? Fix things that are broken? If your budget allows, give him a new, small tool with a big bow attached. But make sure he doesn't think it's part of a "Honey Do" list! 

Maybe your husband's not a handyman, but does he run errands for you? Let you go first? Take care of you when you are sick? Help you make decisions? Praise him for his willingness to serve others. Let him know that you see his unique service as a great strength. 

Join me after the jump for my thoughts on today's devotional...

{ My Husband }

Nick and I moved from central Wyoming to northern Illinois in March of this year. For some reason I can't quite recall now, we had been under the impression that it was relatively easy to find work here, and since the cost of living is quite low in this area, and Nick's family moved here back in 2008, we decided to take the plunge and pack up shop. It was quite the adventure, and took us two days. Our dog, Butters, had a nervous breakdown when we packed all his things, but that was our only casualty.

When we arrived in Illinois, we quickly discovered that our visions of "Hiring" signs in business windows was incorrect; very few places were looking for help, and the ones that were tended to require an advanced education of some sort. We were here almost a month when I sort of "fell into" a job at a chain photography studio, but Nick continued to search for over four months.

I think unemployment is hard on most men ~ at least, the ones who take their calling to provide for their families seriously. (I know there are some families where the wife works and the husband minds the children, and if they feel that God orchestrated that arrangement, I am fine with that, though I know from experience that it doesn't work in my family.) Being out of work was extremely difficult for Nick, and he struggled with feelings of inadequacy and depression because no matter how hard he looked or how many applications he filled out, he could not find a job. The whole situation was a tremendous blow to his masculinity and to his role as a husband.

Yet in the midst of this time of trial, Nick rose up and provided for me in whatever ways he could. There was a period of several weeks where I was working over 40 hours per week, with a 2 hour commute; add to that the sudden attack of poor health that sent me to the emergency room twice in a week and left me with severe pelvic pain that lasted for over two months, and I had absolutely no energy left at all by the time I came home in the evenings after work! It was a miserable time for me, and I know that Nick felt keenly the fact that I could not stop working because he had not yet found a job of his own. So what did he do?

He did the laundry.

That might not seem like much to some, but to me, it was epic! He hauled our clothes from the second floor to the basement and back, twice a week, for almost two months, so I wouldn't have to do it when I came home. I felt incredibly appreciated and loved, and simply astounded that in the middle of feeling so bad about his job situation, Nick went out of his way to do something helpful for me. (Not to say he isn't helpful - I just usually have to ask first.) Knowing that I could come home and rest, and not have to worry about what to wear the next day, took a huge weight off of me; but the bigger blessing was knowing that my husband cared enough about me to do something to ease my burden.

I could go on all day about times Nick has gone out of his way to help someone in need. My husband has a servant's heart, and I am so blessed to be able to serve along side him!

{ What Has Gone Before }

To see the original post introducing this 30 Day Challenge, click here.

To see my post for Day 1, click here.