Proverbs 31:11

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

How many husbands today can say they can fully trust their wife? "Well, I never really lie to my husband..." you might say. But this is not the full definition behind being worthy of trust.

So what does it mean to trust in someone? Websters Dictionary defines trust as such:

assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something : one in which confidence is placed

Can your husband rely on you? I mean really rely. Does he know that when he is gone off to work (whether heading to an office, out in the fields or simply in the other room) that everything in the home is well managed? Or does he expect to come home to a messy house, cranky children and a nagging wife? This one is tough for me personally. I don't tend to be a "nagging" wife, but I do have a tendency to want to "dump" everything on his shoulders when he comes home. There have been too many times where I have exhausted myself during the day, and then by the time that he comes home I am too tired to manage anything else.

Ladies, our husbands have quite a bit on their shoulders. The responsibility of providing for a family, sheltering and protecting us from harm, and leading us on the paths that God has laid out for us are enormous. We need to be doing all that we can so that we can free him up to have the strength that he needs for this. He needs to be able to rely on your ability, your strength, and know that he can safely put his confidence in you. He needs to not wonder about whether dinner will be on the table, or whether he has clean socks. He needs to be able to trust that when he is away, you are training your children in the ways that he desires. He needs to trust that you are managing your resources to the best of your ability.

Every now and then my husband will tell me about some of the burdens that he faces each day, how he manages things behind the scenes that are allowing us to live a comfortable life, how he has planned for our future, and the difficulties that he has to face out in the "world". This always gives me insight to how blessed that I am to be living the life that I am, and it reminds me that I need to do all that I can to ensure that our home is a peaceful refuge for him. Perhaps this would be a great topic to think about today. What can we do to ensure that we are providing a soft place for our husbands in this world? What do we need to work on so that our husbands can safely put their confidence in us?

Some of you might be thinking...But my husband isn't providing for us the way he should...or he isn't really the leader that he should be...he doesn't shelter us...None of that changes what your responsibilities are. The verse does not say "If your husband is doing what he should then he should be able to safely trust in you". The instructions to us are not conditional. And let me encourage you also by saying that many husbands have been won over by their wife's righteousness. Sometimes we have to do the right thing, despite our circumstances. But you can trust that God will bless you for your obedience, and that He knows every detail of the situation.

Let us think today about the ways that we can show our husbands that they can rely on us here at home.

And what of the second half of this verse? What does it mean for him to have no need of spoil?

He shall have no need of spoil because his wife is a tremendous benefit to the family even financially. She is not a financial liability. She manages the home so well and she is so industrious and productive that her efforts result in great GAIN and even PROFIT.

Sadly today some wives are so slothful and careless that they cause the family to suffer great financial loss. They go on shopping sprees or incur immense credit card debt or waste countless hours each week engaged in unproductive activities (television, being a busybody, gossiping on the phone with friends...) How can her husband safely trust in her? After she has finished destroying the family budget, he has great need of gain considering all that she has lost!

Our husbands must be able to trust that we are carefully managing all that he provides for us. We are not wasteful, for example, of the food that he has provided the means to purchase. Are we constantly having to toss uneaten leftovers? Are we allowing food to spoil because we neglected to use it? What about other areas...Do we leave lights or appliances running unnecessarily and waste energy? Do we mend clothing rather than tossing it aside and saying we need something new? Do we insist we need to purchase items for homeschooling or Bible study rather than looking for free resources first?

What can we do to be better stewards of the resources that our husband provides? How can we ease some of his financial burden?

They are so many little things that we can do, and this would be an excellent point for discussion. Perhaps this is an area where we can encourage each other.

One thing that we can do, in addition to learning to use resources in better ways, is also to learn to be content with what we have and to not pressure our husbands to provide better. Knowing that we are satisfied with what he has provided will give him peace and better enable him to go about his responsibilities. Let us pray for contentment in this area!

Ok, well that should give us plenty to think about on this verse :). I would love to hear your thoughts on this, and any ideas you have to help us in becoming the wife whose husband can safely put his trust in her!

Love,