being his helpmate even when it's hard.

One of the ways our family has been transitioning is in that my husband has recently opened his own business and is working tirelessly night and day to make it a successful source of income for our family.  I am so incredibly proud of him and blessed to know that he takes his role of "provider" in our family seriously.  I am confident the Lord will bless the work of his hands.

With this transition, however, comes a sudden shift for me in how I support my husband and how he needs me to be his helpmate. This season requires a greater measure of faith on my part on both my sweet husband and the Spirit of God that dwells inside of him.  Part of opening up a business is taking a sort of financial risk.  Being super frugal, this makes me nervous to the bone and truthfully, I wasn't crazy about the idea.  I trust my husband's abilities and his passion about this endeavor, but any sort of risk-taking makes me want to hide under my bed and gives me a sense of anxiousness I'd rather not divulge.  And on top of my anxious feelings, I am still called and required to be his helpmate.  Dear God, this is a recipe for disaster.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." --Phillipians 4:6

In the midst of this new venture it is incredibly easy to become a nag, to sound like that dripping faucet on a rainy day(Prov 27:15).  It is easy to worry over the money being invested rather than the heart of a husband who desires the unconditional support of his wife.  I hate to admit it, but I have more than once been that dripping faucet on a rainy day.  But yesterday, admist another minor melt-down moment, the Spirit of the Lord reminded me that I was created and designed to be Caleb's help-mate, for such a time as this and many to come. 

Being designed to be our husband's help-mate isn't always about keeping the home clean and providing warm, healthy meals on the table.  It isn't always about homemaking or child-rearing.  It isn't always about serving our husband in practical ways that make plenty of sense.  Sometimes, it's about trusting the Holy Spirit to guide him, even when it means your ideal of security is tested.  Sometimes, it's about praying not only for your husband but with him and offering up a thousand encouraging words, trusting and believing every word.

It is, however, always about trusting someone and something greater than your husband.  At the end of the day, the Lord is faithful, and by supporting the man He's given me, I am indeed obeying the Lord.  And He is one who rewards faithfulness in pursuit and diligence in obedience (Heb 11:6).