When a Man Flounders

Does it seem to you that sometimes the person in charge of a situation is the person who is least capable of being in charge? Have you ever been a part of a group of people and been led by someone who was unqualified to lead? What do you do when your leader can't lead or your director can't direct? Do you want to jump in and take over and help the guy out?

Sometimes even in our own homes it seems that the one God has placed at the head of the house is not the one who would be better suited for the job.

What does a wife do when her husband makes one mistake after another as he tries to be the leader of his home? How does she keep him from making stupid and perhaps costly mistakes? Does she jump in and take over and relieve him of the responsibility of doing something he doesn't seem to be able to do properly anyway?

Our natural inclination is to take over, isn't it? And why shouldn't we? If we can do a better job, would it not help to make things run better in the home if we took charge when our husbands flounder? Would they not appreciate us for doing so?

The only problem with this way of thinking is: God did not place a wife in charge. He gave the husband that position. Whether the man is better suited in any given situation does not matter. It is his position in the family, and it is up to him to make the best of it.

A wife may suggest. She may warn. But that is the end of her responsibility. Just as a person might speak to his boss at work, we women have the right to talk to our husbands and tell them our concerns and suggestions. But in the end, it is our husbands' decision. A husband may make a very stupid decision. He may cause great hardship upon his family and cost his family thousands of dollars. But it is his decision.

He may make a decision that deprives his family of many things they would like to have. But it is his decision. It may take years for his family to recover from the disastrous effects of his mistakes. But it is his decision.

A man needs to have the authority to make decisions so that he may learn from them. It may take him years to get it down, but he is responsible to learn. If his wife takes over, she is depriving him of fulfilling his responsibility both to his family and to God. God has given him the authority and the responsibility to lead his family, and he sins if he does not.

It is a man's God-given place to rule the home--even if he is not good at it, and even if his wife could do a better job.

My dear sisters, we have a position in the family as a helper meet for our husbands. If we fulfill that role, we will have no time to fulfill the role God has given to our husbands. God knew what He was doing when He placed men above us. We must trust in His wisdom and know that if we follow His will, all will be well.

By Tina Rae Collins

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