Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land. ~Proverbs 31:23

I read in a marriage book one time to be careful with whom you share your marital problems, because it’s very easy to update friends on the problems, but we tend to forget to update on the progress.  If you’re like me, you can sit there and think of friends who seem to constantly trash talk their husbands, but who rarely praise them for anything good they’ve done.

I have always tried to be very careful about lifting my husband up when I discuss him with my friends.  While there are times when you may need to confide with a friend and seek counsel, advice, or just a sympathetic ear, it should be done very discretely and with great discrimination.  Because once you start chipping away at your husband’s reputation, it can snowball and escalate beyond what you might intend.  People tend to filter what they hear, and oftentimes, despite the Bible constantly warning about it, will gossip, until your husband’s reputation is unintentionally or unjustly ruined.

Sometimes, when I hear women talking about their husbands or read women writing about their husbands, I can’t help but wonder how they would feel if their husbands treated their wives’ reputations with such callous disregard.  A wife is the keeper of her husband’s heart.  Disrespecting his reputation is the opposite of nurturing his heart.

Read chapter 15 of The Power of a Praying Wife and consider the following discussion questions.  Comments have been turned off on this post and a discussion thread has been opened in Hallee’s Daily Brew.  You can reach it by following this link.

1.  Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,Loving favor rather than silver and gold.”  Why do you think God puts such a high value on having a good reputation?

2.  Stormie Omartian says that our reputations can be ruined by: (a) wrong things we do; (b) the people with whom we are associated; or (c) disparaging words spoken against us.  Have any of these three ways happened to you or your husband?  Do you think your reputations have been damaged?  How do you feel about that?  On a piece of paper, write out a prayer to God asking Him to redeem and restore your good names.

3.  Proverbs 31:23 says, “Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.”  Do you think a virtuous wife automatically deserves a husband who is respected, or does she have an important part to play in that happening?

4.  Gossip can destroy reputations quickly.  Write a prayer asking God to protect you and your husband from it.  If damaging gossip has already been spread about you or your husband, write a prayer asking God to silence those voices to and to be your Defender.  Ask Him to bring restoration and help you and your husband forgive the people who gossiped.

5.  Pray the prayer out loud on pages 122-124 of The Power of a Praying Wife, including specifics about your husband’s reputation.

Hallee

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