Family Talk Night Light for Couples

A Spiritual Leader

“For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord.” Genesis 18:19

Perhaps the most important aspect of a husband’s headship in the home is his role as spiritual leader. When all is said and done, can there be anything more important to a husband than promoting the spiritual health of his wife and children while on earth and being reunited with them in heaven?

One of the things that has impressed me most about Jim during all these years is his dedication to our family’s spiritual life and the example he has set for me, Danae, and Ryan. Our first date was a Sunday evening church service, and he has never wavered from his commitment to church, especially in terms of tithing and attendance. So many times when our children were still at home, Jim would return from a trip late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, then get up and go to Sunday school. I know he was dead on his feet from fatigue, but he didn’t want his kids to see him lying in bed on the Sabbath. Early in our marriage, Jim also established routines for family devotionals, prayer time, and Bible study (admittedly at times more consistently than others). That was such a blessing for our children as they grew up in the Lord and was, and is, so encouraging to me.

Husbands, I urge you to take stock of your family’s spiritual life. Are you setting the proper example? Are you establishing times for you, your wife, and your kids to mature in God’s Word? You may stumble occasionally as you nurture your family’s faith, just as we have, but I encourage you to be a husband who stays the course. That’s the kind of leader your wife wants and needs—and the kind the Lord desires as well.

- Shirley M Dobson

• From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
  Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.