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Lilly Park
I have seen marriages that reflect Christ and the church: husbands lovingly leading their homes and wives lovingly submitting to their husbands.
How good (and hope-filled!) it is to see real life examples, especially at a time when marriages are being attacked from pornography, homosexuality, and cohabitation.
I have also seen broken marriages and emotionally abusive relationships, which has taught me a lot about faith.
The women I have met believed in submitting to their husbands and tried to do so. At some point, however, they began to change negatively without knowing it. They isolated themselves. They questioned themselves. They started to make excuses for their husbands’ sins.
What do you do when your husband emotionally abuses you?
Some may say that you should continue to submit to his leadership, pray for him, and trust God.
Is it acceptable to seek help and possibly even separate, if necessary? When I think of marriage, “protection” is one of the concepts that comes to mind. Perhaps that is why emotional abuse, or any kind of abuse for that matter, in marriage saddens me in a different way.
My desire is that God may use this article to encourage those who are weary, to challenge those who are not trusting God or seeking counsel, and to provide some help to those who are not sure how to help women in emotionally abusive relationships.
I have also met men who have been abused by their wives, so I certainly do not believe that only women are abused.
The Bible does not use the label “emotional abuse,” but it does prohibit it. First, we are not to curse people who have been created in the image of God (James 3:9).
Second, emotional abuse violates the two greatest commandments: love God and love others as yourself (Matthew 22:35-40).
Third, emotional abuse violates God’s design for marriage where the husband lovingly leads and the wife lovingly submits (Ephesians 5:21-33).
Fourth, it violates Christian living by denying yourself (Mark 8:34) and speaking wholesome words (Ephesians 4:29).
Fifth, it displays pride and a lack of fear of God, which leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:18). A husband who commits emotional abuse deceives himself to be a king who deserves glory, honour, and praise.
Sixth, emotional abuse is betrayal to God and people by trying to be like God and deceiving others.
The nature of emotional abuse
A common term found in the definition of emotional abuse is control.
Emotional abuse occurs when someone tries to control you through actions or words.
They may not physically hurt you, but they know how to instil fear through intimidation and manipulation.
If emotions are produced by your evaluations or perceptions, [1] then emotional abuse involves hurting how you view yourself and others.
Over time, you negatively view yourself. You may question yourself, blame yourself, or not see the severity of the situation.
You become a weary person, trying to please your husband’s unreasonable demands but rarely is he pleased.
Emotional abuse is more deceitful than physical abuse.
The women I have met endured emotional abuse for years and no one knew about it.
They did not even know until they finally talked to someone. (Of course, the same could happen with physical abuse.) Emotional abuse is unacceptable and sinful.
It is slowly killing a person. It is also not the same as occasional arguments in marriage; it occurs frequently.
Common themes in emotional abuse
Anger
Emotionally abusive anger is a sin (Colossians 3:8). In this case, it reveals a desire for control. For example, a husband sends texts or calls throughout the day from work and gets angry if the wife responds too slowly. Or, he gets angry if she disagrees with him.
Manipulation/hypocrisy
This sin is revealed in different ways: The husband is a different person in front of a church leader and others. He knows how to blame the wife.
The husband starts crying in the counselling session and convinces the pastor or friends. Then, everything that the wife had shared in the past carries little weight. After all, he cried. The wife trusts people even less.
The husband meets with other family and friends to win them over.
Fear/Threats
In some cases, this involves finances or child custody if the couple is in the process of a divorce.
Blame shifting/Denial
“If you did what I told you to do, then I would not have been angry.” “When did I say that to you?”
Isolation. The wife spends less time with family and friends because her husband does not want to see them or another argument happened.
Minimising the problem. The husband says that the wife is exaggerating. Sometimes, the wife minimises the problem. Another instance is when the person trying to help is deceived or does not know how to help. “Every marriage has problems.” “Both the husband and wife have issues.”
In-laws
Leaving and cleaving never happened in the marriage. The in-laws are the leaders in the marriage, not the husband. The in-laws believe that their son is perfect or they see their son’s faults but place the blame on his wife.
What to do for the wife
It is not uncommon for emotional abuse to lead to physical abuse, so seek counselling as soon as possible. We may think that emotional abuse would not happen in Christian marriages. I have seen cases where the husband was a church leader.
Do not keep it private. You think that your spouse will change or will not get angry again if you are more obedient. Be careful of such thinking. In a way, it deceives you to think that you are in control of the situation.
Find someone who will believe you. Sometimes, church leaders are deceived or do not want to get involved in messy problems. Do not give up until you find a godly person who knows how to help.
Biblical submission
This is not obedience at all costs. Yes, wives are to submit to their husbands, but not to sin or sinful treatment.
Prayer
Pray for the spouse’s repentance. If the spouse is not saved, pray for his salvation. Pray that God would protect your heart from anger and bitterness.
Trust God
It is so hurtful when family or friends do not believe you or desert you, but God knows the truth. You can rest in His care and know that vengeance belongs to Him.
Remember God’s character. He is faithful. He is all-knowing. He will never desert you.
If someone shares about any kind of abuse with you, know that a lot of courage and trust were involved. Be careful of shattering it! Most likely, this person is vulnerable and fearful. As I often tell people, good intentions are not enough. I’ve seen friends get involved by meeting with the husband and then they are left more confused.
Watch out for complaining and gossip. Use wisdom in determining how much the person should share with you. — biblicalcounselingcoalition.org
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