lshepler412
Puritan Board Freshman
Sarah, you've mentioned several times that the husband makes the decision on the wife working and she must obey. I think if her conscience before the Lord tells her that she should not abandon her infant or small children for the workplace then it is permissable for her to tell her husband that she can not work. They would need to work together to find creative ways perhaps to bring in more money. A godly husband is not suppose to be a tyrant over his wife. What kind of man would disrespect her wishes if she felt strongly about caring for the children God gave her. I believe a wise man does not just make the decisions for his wife. Her beliefs, feelings, and thoughts should be of the utmost concern to him. I don't believe that the husband being the head of his wife means he is to make every single decision for her.
I'm quite sure that husbands take their wives' opinions to heart and go before God about it....but ultimately they do have the final say and the wife is commanded to obey.
Submissive does not mean being a doormat. There are some Christian men who do not take their wives opinions to heart and there are some men who's motives for having their wives work are sinful and impure. I realize that there are all kinds of situations that can propel a woman into the workplace and we need to respect the decisions people make. Truthfully, the church has fallen into the same mindset in some ways that secular society has indevaluing the role of mother/homemaker. I think a married woman should make every effort to remain in the home particularly before the children are school age. The needs of children are great at all ages though, even teens. Obviously because we live in a sinful world, reality is such that a woman may have to work for example if her husband has a debilitating condition that prohibits him from working. The husband and wife together need to arrive at a mutual decision, not just the husband lording it over his wife and making the decision for her.