Many of the suggestions regarding this topic involved our attitude. Not your husband’s attitude, but ours. We can’t make our husband repent. We can’t make him start doing the right thing. But we can control every bit of our attitude. Compassion, humility, and goodness are powerful traits. Our constancy in those areas will have a better chance of penetrating our husband’s heart than any rant or “punishment.” Remember that the goal is to make sure we are doing our part to make it easier for him to go to Heaven.
- Rebuke gently.
If you’re like most people, you don’t enjoy confrontation, especially when it involves a friend. When you do have to resolve an issue, you probably go out of your way to be careful and gentle. You put a lot of thought into it. You don’t want there to be any misunderstandings or hurt feelings and will treat it as tenderly as possible. Make sure you’re no less gentle with your own husband. Put as much forethought into it.
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). Gentleness goes far in reaching any heart.
- Keep Your Convictions
Perhaps your husband has quit attending worship. Keep going anyway no matter how inconvenient and even if you have to go alone for years. If your husband has engaged in a particular sin for any length of time, resist the temptation to accept it. Never give in and engage in it with your husband. You will demonstrate true faithfulness by putting God’s will first no matter what. In She Hath Done What She Could, Jane McWhorter writes, “Your husband may test your convictions, but he will respect you for them if you are sincere and consistent.”
- Know the Difference Between Shaming and Humiliating
When God’s people no longer blushed at their sin it was because they were no longer ashamed of it (Jer. 6:15). Shame is good because it can lead to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10,11). It can turn a tender heart. Humiliation is different. A wife who humiliates her husband is trying to embarrass him and attack his dignity. Look up the various definitions of what it means to humiliate someone. It’s not pretty or Christlike.
- Dissolve Your Anger
A certain amount of anger is natural and righteous indignation is good. But be careful about feeding your anger by brooding or repeating your husband’s offense(s) over and over in your mind. You will only lead yourself to the boiling point. In her book, Loving Your Husband, Patsy Loden writes, “Anger robs you of reason. Without reasoning ability, you are not responsive to seeking a solution. Anger enslaves. You cannot act in a loving way when you are angry. Anger dictates how you act, and it is always in a negative way.”
How can you dissolve your anger?
- Don’t focus on your rights (“That’s not fair. This isn’t what I deserve.”).
- Don’t start keeping score.
- Stay away from angry people–it’s contagious.
- Pray for release from the feelings of anger.
- Focus on His Good Qualities
If your husband picks up a sinful habit, it doesn’t mean he’s a bad man. Paul said the evil he didn’t want to do was what he kept on doing because of the sin in him (Rom. 7:15-20). His struggle with his flesh was ongoing. A husband with a sin problem is battling the flesh and failing.
To help your husband strengthen his godly traits, focus on them. Point them out. Open your eyes to the good that your husband does or tried to do. Acknowledge the good in a non-patronizing way. I love what Ruth Hazel said in The Challenge of Being a Wife. “You will find that the more you focus on the good qualities of others the farther their weaknesses will recede. Anyone can do better when he believes he can do better, and this assurance may be based on the faith and confidence someone else has in us.”
- Turn Him Over to God
God is the One in the heart-changing business. You know you can safely leave your husband in God’s hands. You don’t have to carry the burden all alone. You can turn your husband over to the One who died for him.
You can’t force your husband to repent but you can choose to still love him. Love can motivate you to make sure your attitude and your example make it easier for your husband to be convicted to give up the sinful habit.