Support Networks - Your husband

This series was originally posted on In Tandem, a blog for ministry wives

Support Networks: Your husband

Your marriage is your most natural support network, you don’t have to look for it or seek it out, it’s (hopefully) part of your existing relationship.

A marriage is a funny relationship – on one hand you can be each other’s greatest ally and supporter. On the other hand, you can also become each other’s harshest critic. It’s the one relationship on earth where one person sees us for who we really are – both the positive and the negative.

In our marriage we can find:

• understanding – only your spouse really knows what your particular life of ministry looks like. Hopefully it is something that the two of you have talked about and agreed upon. You both know the struggles & joys each other has, what you find difficult and what you enjoy.

• encouragement – the closeness of a marriage means that we can keep encouraging one another, to persevere, to be godly and to remember the goal of serving God, no matter what challenges we face.

• accountability – you know each other better than anyone else, and you really know where each other’s tendencies to sin are. We are best equipped to keep each other accountable, from the safety of a committed relationship.

Of course, not all marriages function this way – some are more strained and less open.   A supportive, encouraging and edifying marriage is a great thing and it’s worth putting lots of time into developing it – there are certainly great benefits, both to your marriage itself and to your ministry.