Together

Do you realize that you are a gift—God’s gift to your husband?

Genesis 2:18 tells us: "And the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him" (NLT).

Everything God had created, He said was good. Everything He created seemed to build upon each other, getting better and better.

God brought all the animals to Adam, and Adam named them, but it just didn’t quite do it. So in Genesis 2:20-22, it says: "But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam’s ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam" (NLT).

Woman came from the side of man—not leading and not lagging behind, but standing by him and with him.

Proverbs 18:22 says that not only are you a treasure to your husband, but your husband receives favor from the Lord because of you. It pleases the Lord and makes Him happy.

What does a gift represent? When you give a gift to someone, what does it mean to you? It makes you happy, it gives you joy to see that person happy, doesn’t it? A gift can help that person, express love to them or show appreciation.

The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 was a gift to her husband because verse 11 tells us that "the heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain" (NKJV).

That word trust means "to believe in, to have confidence in, to set one’s hope on, and to be a refuge." I particularly like the word refuge because it means shelter or safety.

In a 2004 poll, the international consulting group Chiumento discovered that two-thirds of chief executives, managing directors, and other business leaders said that the first person they look to for advice when they’re facing a tough challenge at work is their spouse.

Actor Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) says that he listens to his wife Anna above anyone else when it comes to choosing scripts, because she "comes from a place that’s not about business. It’s about whether or not it’s good for me." Obviously, Ray can safely trust in his wife.

Men tend to be linear, compartmentalized thinkers. They are more comfortable dealing with facts, figures, and processes than they are at dealing with personalities.

Women, on the other hand, are better at handling relational issues, understanding different sides of an argument, anticipating reactions, and deciphering motivations.

As a result, men will ask their wives what their opinions are in order to see it from another angle.

Does your husband’s heart trust in you? Can he confidently share his thoughts with you without you getting mad and ridiculing him? Can he know that when he goes off to work, all is going to be taken care of at home? When he is driving home, is he coming to a refuge, a place of safety and calm?

One secular writer says: "If a man can’t find peace in his own home, where he should be able to feel relaxed, accepted, loved and content, he begins to not only hate coming home but he begins to hate his life."

The virtuous woman gave her husband herself by the outpouring of her life into his . . . not a real popular thing today. You were created to make him complete, and in so doing you will be complete.