Here’s a fun project I’ll try this month! Each day, I’ll post one idea for how to be a better deacon’s wife.  Feel free to comment with your suggestions.

Steve and I had a delightful weekend with Kentucky Baptist pastors & deacons & wives, so I’m excited to share some encouraging words for these important leaders.

DAY#1: Tell your man you admire him.

Say the words to your husband before today is over. 

1)      Grab a couple of note cards right now and take a few minutes to jot down your favorite things about your husband’s character.  Re-read the Biblical qualifications for a deacon (pasted below) if you need help getting started. Be very specific, with complimentary examples of how you observe those characteristics playing out in his life. Do not include the word “but” in your comments. (No backhanded compliments. You’re not saying he’s perfect or you’re perfect; you’re acknowledging him as a man of God, a man you admire and love and respect.)

2)      Reread your notes, and find a time when you’re alone today when you can share those sincere words of compliment and encouragement with him.

-          After the kids are in bed or the work day is done, turn off the television, brew two cups of hot tea, look him in the eyes, and remind him of how you admire him.

-          Better yet, take him to the local coffee shop, get a table for two, and chat together there. 

-          You might want to summarize your comments on a greeting card to give him (after you’ve verbalized them.)

3)      Pray with him, thanking God aloud for the husband and spiritual leader he gave you as a mate.

It’s kind of like the old joke when the wife complains that her husband never says “I love you” any more. He responds, “Well, I told you I loved you when we married. I’ll let you know if I ever change my mind.”

You know that you respect and admire your husband, but a simple verbal reminder will assure that he knows it.

“A word spoken at the right time is like golden  apples on a silvery tray.” Proverbs 25:11

 

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Scripture’s mandate to every wife is simply to respect your husband -

“To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself,

and the wife is to respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:33

 

A starting place for your list:

^“8 Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ And they must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. 11 Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. 12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. 13 For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves, and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 3:8-13 HCSB)

This Fresh Idea was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 | Deacon Wives.