I Believed Marriage Would Lead Him to Jesus

Key Takeaways

➤ Your Grief is Real, and God Isn’t Ashamed of It - Being unequally yoked comes with a quiet kind of sorrow—one that’s often overlooked or misunderstood in the church. But God sees the ache. He’s not disappointed in you. He doesn’t disqualify you. He draws near to the woman who prays in the silence, weeps in the waiting, and still chooses faithfulness.

➤ You Don’t Have to Convert Him—You Just Have to Be Faithful - God never asked you to argue your husband into belief. Your role is not persuasion, but presence. A quiet, consistent, grace-filled life carries more weight than perfectly crafted words ever could. Your purity, reverence, and resilience in Christ can preach a gospel louder than any sermon.

➤ Love Still Hopes—Even When It Hurts - Yes, it’s okay to grieve. To long for more. To feel the sting of spiritual loneliness. But your tears are not weakness—they’re sacred. They’re the overflow of a heart that still believes God can move, still loves deeply, and still hopes boldly, even when hope feels heavy.

---

How to Get Your Passion for God Back (When You Feel Spiritually Dry)

Let’s name it plainly: you are unequally yoked.

You love Jesus. Your husband doesn’t. And that simple truth, quiet as a sigh, loud as a thunderclap, has reshaped your marriage in ways few people can see, and even fewer understand.

There’s a particular kind of ache reserved for women like you. The kind that settles in your chest when you kneel to pray for the man beside you; so close, and yet, in the things that matter most, so far. The kind that tightens in your throat when you walk into church alone. That rises when the pastor says, “Husbands, lead,” and your heart whispers, “God, I wish he would.” The kind that watches him sleep and wonders if he’ll ever know the joy that wakes you in the morning.

You carry a light he doesn’t recognize, a hope he hasn’t tasted, a grief you can’t quite put into words. And maybe no one has said this yet, so allow me to: it’s okay to say it hurts.

Let’s name it plainly: you are unequally yoked.

What Does That Even Mean?

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

It’s a farming metaphor, but stay with me.

A yoke is a wooden harness that binds two animals together so they can pull in the same direction. It’s a symbol of unity, rhythm, and strength shared for a common goal. But when one wanders or wobbles, the other bears the burden, the work becomes weary, uneven, and strained.

Perhaps that’s how your marriage feels: like tugging toward heaven with someone you love… who doesn’t even see the rope.

But before you twist yourself into knots of shame or regret, hear me: God sees you. He is not disappointed. He is not pacing the heavens, second-guessing your choices. He is not finished with your story.

Whether you came to Christ after the vows or entered the marriage with hopeful eyes and a heart full of “he can change”, you are not beyond the reach of mercy. You are not second-tier in the Kingdom. You are not disqualified. You are His. Still. Always.

You Are Not Alone

You’re not the first woman to walk this path. Scripture gives us a quiet, powerful picture of a wife navigating this exact tension.

“Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”
—1 Peter 3:1–2

You don’t have to argue him into belief. You don’t have to make Jesus look appealing with perfect prayers and Pinterest-worthy devotionals on the kitchen counter. You just have to be faithful.

That means:

• Living with grace, even when it’s not reciprocated.

• It means extending kindness when you are misunderstood or dismissed, not because he deserves it, but because Christ extended it to you first.

• It means holding to truth with tender strength, refusing to water it down, but also refusing to wield it like a weapon.

And yes, it’s okay to grieve, actually it would be weird if you didn’t. It’s okay to wish he believed. To feel the ache when he shrugs off your spiritual highs or won’t pray over the kids at bedtime. Your tears are not weakness, they’re evidence of love. And love always hopes (1 Corinthians 13:7).

TL/DR

Being unequally yoked is painful—but you're not alone, you're not disqualified, and you're not unseen. God doesn't expect you to save your husband—He simply calls you to be faithful. Your quiet tears, your daily grace, your steady hope—they matter. And love, real love, still hopes… even when it hurts.

Define Your Terms

(Some might call this a glossary)

• TL/DR - Too Long/Didn’t Read

• Unequally yoked - It's a farming metaphor that isn’t familiar to most modern readers. This means two people are bound in a relationship where spiritual beliefs pull in different directions.”

• Submit - This word can trigger cultural assumptions of oppression or silence and because of that is often misunderstood. Biblical submission refers to humble strength and Christlike respect, not silence, passivity, or loss of identity.

• Faithfulness - Daily loyalty to God—living out your faith with consistency and love, even when no one notices.

• Kingdom/Kingdom of God - this refers to God's rule and reign, now and forever, in the hearts and lives of those who follow Him.

• Grace - It’s a beautiful word, but often misunderstood as mere kindness. Grace is God's unearned, extravagant love and favor, even when we mess up.

• Mercy - Often confused with grace. His compassionate withholding of judgment we deserve.

• Disqualified / Second-tier in the Kingdom - In Christ, no one is put on the bench for being broken. There are no "junior varsity" Christians.

• Purity and reverence - These words can feel vague or overly “churchy.” A life that reflects integrity, peace, and deep respect for God.

---

You Might Find These Interesting . . .