8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband: “Dream Big Together”

by Marilynn Chadwick

Dream big together! It’s the next tip for learning to honor our husbands.

I honor my husband when I share his dreams. When I work to help him accomplish his dreams, my dreams are also fulfilled. Not too long into our marriage, I realized that God’s economy is different from mine. When doing things God’s way, I often get back the very thing I give away. I help David reach his goals and dreams. Then he helps me reach mine. A wonderful rhythm develops. A mutuality.

Together, we’ve also learned that when we give our life away, especially to the lost and broken of this world, God pours grace and honor back into our own lives.

As you dream big and pursue adventure together, you often find heroes in the most unlikely places. Ordinary people living quiet, faithful lives—in my book, these are the real heroes.

A while back, David and I adventured to our nation’s capital. We met with influential men and women faithfully serving our country. We took tours of the capitol, awed by the courageous faith of our Founding Fathers. Their names are written in history—their impact will last for generations.

But for me, the real hero showed up—of all places—in a taxi cab. Our driver was a gentle, friendly man with an east African accent. I noticed the prominent cross on his dashboard. He talked about his 33 years driving a cab. His three kids had all graduated from fine colleges, he boasted, with that dad-kind-of-pride. All had prestigious jobs working in DC.

“You must have done some pretty good parenting,” I commented. “What’s your secret?” “My secret,” he laughed, “is America.” “In America, if you’re willing to work hard, you can reach your dream.”

“There are some who might disagree,” I replied. “Hmmm,” he paused, “then they have never lived in another country.” See, he had fled the severe persecution of Christians in Eritrea. He went on to say quietly, “People here don’t know what it’s like to not have freedom.”

When he was a much younger man, he had been educated as an accountant back in Eritrea. But since coming to America, he has worked as a cab driver. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year. He was well past his prime.

As David and I were on our own adventure as a result of dreaming big together, I knew we'd been with a true hero that day. Someone who dreamed big and provided freedom for his family. And a man of honor.

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This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband by Marilynn Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by clicking here!

8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband: “Wage Peace”

by Marilynn Chadwick

Peace is a priority in our home. A peaceful home refreshes and blesses the family.

Today’s world is busy and noisy. How can I lighten my husband’s load and his heart? Help him have fun? I’ve learned that simple habits, like taking a day off together each week, honor him by allowing him to be refreshed. We’re also intentional about family vacations. Doing so has allowed us to sustain our busy schedules. We find we can then return to the fray strengthened and with renewed enthusiasm.

But sometimes, peace doesn’t come without a fight. If I’m serious about “waging peace,” it helps to know my enemy. You know what I have found is the quickest way to rob peace in the home? Worry. Anxiety can drain my energy and quench calm faster than just about anything. What’s more, it’s contagious. When the kids were small, if I became worried, they seemed to absorb my anxiety and become fretful.

Worry is also exhausting. I agree with a friend who coined this acronym for W-O-R-R-Y: Worry Only Robs Rest from You. Worry says loud and clear that I don’t trust God. But when I refuse to be anxious, when I trust God and remain peaceful, I create a climate of peace.

I have to confess I grew up as a world-class worrier. There were times early in our marriage when fear held me in its grip. Fear of storms, fear of intruders, fear of illness, fear of flying. You name it—I probably wrestled with it.

But I’ve learned to be ruthless. Through the promises in God’s Word, lots of prayer, and putting my faith into action, I have wrestled most of my fears to the ground. I’m not completely worry-free, but I can tell you I no longer feel like a prisoner to fear.

These twin invaders, fear and anxiety, can wreak havoc on a home and a marriage. God doesn’t treat fear and worry as small things. He tells us to cast all your anxiety on him “because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

He commands us to “have no fear.” To “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6 NKJV).  As with any stubborn problem, the first step is to confront anxiety head-on and call it out for the enemy that it is. We may find that our repentance is soon followed by times of refreshing and revival.  And a peace that passes all understanding!

Wage peace in the home! Don’t worry! Or as I would tell my daughter Bethany as she was growing up, “It’d be better to be dead than to live in dread.” I think this fight for peace honors our husbands, and makes life more fun in the process.

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This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband by Marilynn Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by clicking here!

8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband:“Pray Like You Mean It”

by Marilynn Chadwick

If you were to ask me what’s the single most important thing you can do to honor your husband, I would simply say: Pray for him. Pray like you mean it. Pray like you believe God works through your prayers. And make prayer for your husband a priority.

I have seen many wives’ prayers encourage husbands who are already following Jesus. And I have seen prayer soften the hearts of men who have rejected God. I am mystified as to why prayer works when words fall short. I just know it does.

Prayer is a weapon that can be used to usher in powerful things for your husband’s life and for your life as well. Pray with confidence, knowing if you are asking for something according to his will, he hears us (1 John 5:14).

My dear friend Jane prayed for years for her husband to accept Christ. He continued to resist the gospel. My friend was wise. She refused to nag. But she did set aside 15 minutes to pray for her husband every morning.

I don’t know how long Jane prayed for him. But, some time later, I watched in amazement as her husband walked forward to accept Christ at a Billy Graham Crusade in our city. During the invitation, I happened to glance to my right. I was startled to see this man who had stiff-armed God! There he was, wife by his side, resolutely heading to the front of the arena where he gave his life to Jesus Christ once and for all.

The ripple effect of that one influential man’s devotion to Christ was powerful. The impact he had on his family and community is evident to this day. All because of the quiet witness and faithful prayers of a strong wife. Like my husband always says, “If you don’t love Jesus and you have a praying wife or a praying mother, look out—you’re toast!”

Pray consistently. Pray fervently. Pray like you mean it. Then watch as God moves in the heart of your husband and your home.

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This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband by Marilynn Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by clicking here!