Ideally, every Christian woman would have the joy of being married to a Godly man. It was God’s original plan that every marriage would include two committed followers of Him. Sadly, because sin entered the world and man was separated from God, this ideal relationship has been forfeited in many cases.
Certainly, it is sad when there is a marriage in which neither partner has trusted in Christ. More disheartening, however, is when there is a marriage in which one person is a believer and the other is not. People who find themselves in this situation struggle with many things, some of which are:
1. Wanting to have peace concerning her spouse’s eternity after this life, but finding none.
2. Wanting to open up her home to Christian friends and ministers, but feeling unable to because of her unbelieving spouse.
3. The desire to have the most essential part of her life – her spiritual life – in common with her spouse.
4. Feeling rejected by her husband because of her spiritual beliefs and convictions.
5. Feeling like she can’t be more involved in church because her husband doesn’t see the importance of it.
6. Feeling like an “outsider” at church because she’s one of the few married women there alone.
7. Feeling like a bad wife because her testimony has not won her spouse to the Lord.
8. Grieving that she cannot give financially to her church as she’d like because her spouse will not consent.
9. Afraid to think that her children might follow her husband’s path and reject Christ.
10. Feeling torn between being in love with her husband, but wishing that she was married to someone else who was a Christian.
11. Resenting her husband for not becoming a Christian, because she knows he would be a kinder person if he was.
As I reflect on the struggles faced by a believing wife who is married to an unbeliever, my heart is touched for the struggles she goes through. Do you know someone who is saved and has an unsaved spouse? Please, take some time to pray for her and encourage her. She is in a difficult situation with no “easy” way out.
Part 2 of this series will discuss the responsibilities of a believing wife who has an unbelieving husband.
A Believing Wife With An Unbelieving Husband Part 2
You Don’t Want a Divorce But Your Spouse Does