Husbands, mine included, have shared with me the predicament of sometimes feeling punished by their wives. Meanwhile, wives can’t understand why they’re being accused of causing the feeling. In this three-part series, I will review three categories of people who may break a woman’s trust, consider our potential responses, and then examine if we’re responsible for making any of them feel punished. So, first, let’s say your husband breaks your trust because he revealed something you asked him not to share and you decide you’re not going to confide in him again because of what he did. He may instantly feel you’re punishing him. It could discourage him to think he has to earn the trust that’s already granted to him by his position as husband. In fact, the more he comprehends his sacred duty to you, the more punished he may feel. After all, 1) he’s been entrusted by God as the designated protector of your heart, household, and vocation, 2) he’s aware of the weight and responsibility of that role, and 3) it’s disparaging to his headship when he falls down on the job (Ephesians 5:22-33). What a tremendous position husbands have! As wives, even when we’ve been hurt, we can take care not to shame or punish our husbands for their mistake. Instead, this is an opportunity to show respect and focus on our role, while they do their own work to restore theirs. The wife’s responsibility is to: kindly communicate, pray for him, forgive him, believe the best about him, be trustworthy, do him good every day, be his helper, and reinforce his good reputation (Proverbs 8:6, 31:10-31, 1 Corinthians 7:5, Ephesians 5:22-33, Philippians 2:3-4, Titus 2:3-5, 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-12). Exceptions to this pattern are husbands in a repeatable sin pattern or not in good standing with the church. Such husbands who’ve abdicated their headship fall into the category that will be covered in part three of this series. Next week’s part-two article will demonstrate helping a friend not feel punished if you ask for time or effort to rebuild trust.