5 Ways to Support Your Husband

 By: Jenifer Metzger

When we marry, we get a life long companion. We also get a life long supporter. In turn, we get to be a life long supporter. I am not talking about supporting your mate financially. I am talking about supporting his goals, dreams and visions. I am talking about, in the words of the country legend, standing by your man.

Whether he realizes it or not, your husband looks to your for support and encouragement. Whether you realize it or not, you can build his dreams or kill them.

When my husband was a children's pastor, he enjoyed having fun, messy games for the kids each week. Most of his game ideas come to him in his sleep. Years ago, he began to keep paper and a pen in his nightstand to jot down ideas. His dream was to eventually compile these ideas into a book for other children's pastors. One day while cleaning his drawers out, I accidentally threw his papers away. They were rumbled and I didn't realize what they were. While I should have payed closer attention to what I was doing, it was an accident. But to my husband, it was like I was saying it wasn't good enough and he couldn't write a book. Eventually he did realize it was purely by accident. But for a long time it crushed his spirit. Now, he has a nice notebook in his nightstand so that this mistake doesn't happen again.

We need to support and encourage our husband in his dreams. Even if to us they seem out of reach. Let him dream big. Let him shoot for the moon. With God, nothing is impossible. He desires for us to dream big.

Here are 5 ways to support your husband:

Know what his dreams are. How can you support him if you don't know what he dreams? Ask him what he wants to do. Ask him his goals. Ask him what he's always secretly wished to do. Know your man's dreams.

Never, ever laugh at his dreams. His desires may seem far fetched to you. They may seem like something he could never possibly do or something that would just never work. But don't laugh. Let him dream big.

Be patient. His dreams make take up time. It may be something he needs to practice. Something that is going to take part of his time and heart and maybe even some money. Be patient with him. Don't get angry with him. Your patience is a great way to show you support him.

Show your support. Be outspoken about your support of his dreams. If your husband desires to start something new, think how you can visually support that. Maybe he dreams of being a golfer. Buy him a box of golf balls. Maybe he wants to write a book. Buy him a journal and nice pen. If he wants to build a new deck yet has never touched a tool, buy him a new hammer. Do something to show that you support him.

Pray. Prayer is the most important piece of support and encouragement you can give your husband. Pray that God would give him the desires of his heart. Pray that God would give him the ability to see it through. Pray that your husband would be passionate and that his passion would grow as God enables him to reach his goals. And pray that God would help you to be a supporter.

Even if you cannot possibly understand why his dream is what it is, even when you don't know how you could possibly support his dream, support him.

Discussion:
1. Do you know what your husband's dreams are?
2. What is something you can do today to show you support him?