“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” Proverbs 31:25
Have you ever heard of the saying, “Military wife, toughest job in the military?” I don’t know if it’s the toughest job, but I do know that it is not an easy job.
I also know that it’s worth it.
I’ve only been married to my husband for a little over eight months. Though they are the happiest months in my life, they didn’t come with ease. I moved 1,200 miles away from home and didn’t know anyone other than the friends my husband had made. Even then, I’d met those people only a handful of times. Now I’m back to everything I know, but I am apart from my husband.
It. Is. Hard.
But I wouldn’t trade this time with (and apart from) my husband for anything.
I look back on these months and know without a shadow of a doubt that I have been made stronger. Stronger in my relationship with Christ, stronger in my relationship with my husband, and stronger in my knowledge of how to live life. God has been clothing me with strength.
Before I married my husband, I had a difficult time relying on the Lord to guide me. I had a hard time trusting that He wanted what’s best for me, that He cared for me. I felt like I prayed over and over again only to get no answer back. It took me having the courage to walk through the doors God had opened for me to understand what He was allowing me to do and what He wanted for me.
Now I know that what He wanted for me was to become a military wife. I have had to rely on Christ these past eight months, I have had to look to Him for guidance, and I have had to trust in Him as I began life away from everything I knew with the man I love and as I go through this time away from my husband.
I hear many times that women could never do what I am doing; that they could never marry a man in the military. The only reason that I know I can is because my cornerstone is Christ and the foundation of my marriage is Christ.
As a military wife, you know that it is not easy. But if there is one thing that I’ve learned to pass onto you is that there is a God who is standing right beside you as you endure the unknown, the constant change, and the distance. He is strengthening you and molding you to become more like Christ. He is clothing you with strength.
So remember that we are strong women, we are Proverbs 31 women, we are military wives.
Photo Credit: Michel Hansen, Evaro Photography
February 23, 2018
At one time I too was a military wife. One of the best things you can do to help the time pass is to keep yourself fairly busy. The Proverbs 31 wife as described, is certainly busy one way or another. She has her ways of using her time wisely for the betterment of her family and community. She is able to help with providing food and money with the gifts she was given from God. Explore the gifts you were given and see how they can best be put to use. Believe me, the Proverbs 31 woman is pretty much described as being “perfect”, we are all far from that. Don’t let that discourage you. Doing your best and letting God do the rest will be plenty good enough. I surely do wish I had known these things back when I was a young military wife.
February 23, 2018
Thank you Nancy for your wonderful insight! It’s definitely good to have extra advice from women like you who have gone through these situations. You are so right about the woman described in Proverbs 31. Thank you again:)