Whose Shoes are you Trying to Fill?

When I was a relatively new wife, I enrolled in an excellent class at our church. It was called Helpmeet. The title was taken from Genesis 2:18–

And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

The course taught women that we were made to be our husband’s helper. It challenged me to look at my preconceived ideas about the roles of husbands and wives.

I will never forget an illustration used in that class. We were instructed to go home and try wearing our husband’s shoes around the house. Later we talked about how it felt.

His shoes are too big.

They were uncomfortable.

It made it harder to do my work.

His shoes weren’t designed for us. They’re his shoes and they fit his feet. Often we try to put on roles that are not ours to wear.

In financial matters at home, are you trying to wear your husband’s shoes? Are you in charge instead of him? Do you try to limit his spending? Pay all the bills?

Supporting the family is one of the jobs God gave to the husband. Yes, the wife should participate in the decision making. She might even be the one who physically pays the bills. But we as wives must be very careful not to put ourselves in authority over our husbands in this, or any area.

This post is a part of The Christian Home, posted weekly at The Legacy of Home.