Maintain Peace in Your Household

IF YOUR HUSBAND HAS A DIFFERENT FAITH

The Bible strongly counsels us against marrying someone with a different religious faith.  (Deuteronomy 7:3, 4; 1 Corinthians 7:39)  It may be, however, that you learned the truth from the Bible after your marriage but your husband dd not. What then?  Of course, the marriage vows still hold.  (1 Corinthians 7:10)  The Bible emphasizes the permanence of the marriage bond and encourages married people to work out their differences rather than to run away from them.  (Ephesians 5:28-31; Titus 2:4, 5) What, though, if your husband strongly objects to your practicing the religion of the Bible?  He may try to hinder you from going to congregation meetings, or he may say that he does not want his wide to go from house to house, talking about religion. What will you do?

Ask yourself, 'Why does my husband feel the way he does?' (Proverbs 16:20, 23) If he does not really understand what you are doing, he worry about you. Or he may be under pressure from relatives because you no longer share in certain customs that are important to them.  "Alone in the house, I felt deserted," said one husband.  This man felt that he was losing his wife to a religion.  Yet pride kept him from admitting that he was lonely. Your husband may need the reassurance that your love for Jehovah does not mean that you now love your husband less than you did in the past.  Be sure to spend time with him.

However, something even more important must be considered if you are going to deal with the situation wisely.  God's Word urges wives;  "Be in subjection to your husbands, as it is becoming in the Lord."  (Colossians 3:18) Thus, it cautions against a spirit of independence. In addition, by saying "as it is becoming in the Lord,"this scripture indicates that subjection to one's husband should also take into consideration subjection to the Lord. There has to be a balance.

For a Christian, attending congregation meetings and witnessing to others about one's Bible based faith are important aspects of true worship that are not to be neglected.   (Romans 10:9, 10, 14; Hebrews 10:24, 25)  What would you do, then, if a human directly commanded you not to comply with a specific requirement of God?  The apostles of Jesus Christ declared:  "We must obey God as ruler rather than men. (Acts 5:29) Their example provides a precedent that is applicable to many situations in life.  Will love for Jehovah move you to render to him the devotion that rightly belongs to him?  At the same time, will your love and respect for your husband cause you to try to do this in away that is acceptable to him? -Matthew 4:10; 1 John 5:3

Next time: Maintain Peace in Your Household/IF YOUR HUSBAND HAS A DIFFERENT FAITH

From the book: The Secret of FAMILY HAPPINESS