subject: Ministry To Women In Difficult Marriages: Five Things You Must Do [print this page] Are you involved in ministry to women in difficult marriages? Then, here are five things you must do:
Be transparent and real. Share your weaknesses. Encourage an environment in your relationships or groups where women feel free to share. Christians often keep their problems to themselves and put up a faade that pretends everything is perfect. Be willing to be honest about your own struggles to make it safe for others to be real.
Keep information you hear confidential. Be very respectful of the woman who is sharing the intimate details of her life with you by keeping them to yourself. Don't ask others to pray, if it means disclosing information.
Show empathy and caring by really listening, identifying with her pain, and following up.You want to minister to her by really listening and validating her pain. Even if you haven't been in her situation, you can tell she is really struggling and you can empathize with the pain. Do offer to pray, but don't forget to follow up with her to see how she is doing. Praying isn't an excuse to abandon her.
Give practical help by referring herto counseling, written material, Twelve Step and other support groups, or other women who have been through similar situations. This is incredibly helpful and offers her help you probably can't give yourself.
When you teach, keep in mind the needs of women in difficult marriages. Mention the exceptions to things you know will cause them pain and be misapplied and misunderstood such as submission and standing up for one's rights. Don't make all your examples perfect marriages or extremely small problems when teaching and talking. This makes the woman in a difficult marriage feel even more discouraged and hopeless. It also reminds her that she is different and isn't understood or supported by other Christians.
These are five things you must do in your ministry to women in difficult marriages. If you do them, you will be offering them help that encourages and supports in ways they desperately need.
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by: Karla Downing
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