Tested through Spouse

Daily Reading: Job 2:7-10

     Am I Job or his nameless wife?  Yesterday I passed the test and remained calm in midst of chaos.  It was a close call.  When my husband started ranting about problems in the past I so wanted to scream.  Yet God opened a door for me.  My husband made a statement towards the end of the evening that "If I had to put up with all you do from me, I'd leave.  You just sit there taking it all and don't say a word."
     My secret is my faith in GOD.  A few weeks ago I had gotten tired of my husband's relentless repetition about a matter that he couldn't stand.  I snapped at him and he blew up.  He didn't speak to me for almost two days.  I realized that as a Christian I have to set an example for my non Christian husband.  So yesterday, I calmly sat there listening to everything he was saying. 
     I imagine Job did the same thing when his wife told him "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"  I seriously doubt she said a mere two sentences.  In my experience,  when we get angry we don't simply state what is bothering us.  Instead, we go on relentlessly until we feel another person understands us, we convince ourself that we are justified, or we simply can not think of any other way to state our frustration. 
     If I had told my husband "You are talking like a foolish man.  Should we accept good from God and not trouble?" He most likely would have blown up even more.  I imagine that Mrs. Job could have done that.  Maybe she kept ranting about Job's misery, or maybe she listened to his wisdom and took heed of what he was saying.
     Either way we can not control how people around us act and react.  The only person we control is ourselves.  When we feel we can no longer restrain ourselves we must quickly ask God to take over.  Allow GOD to put HIS protective armor around us.  Amazingly the more my husbanded ranted last night, the more I silently prayed, the more uplifted I felt.  I went to bed last night happy to know that my faith in God and His protective armor had allowed me to weather the storm and find a safe haven in knowing He is always there.

Additional Readings: Ephesians 6:10-18 and 1 Peter 5:8-11