Military Wives Are Devoted To Their Husbands Healing, But What About Them?

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”

Proverbs 3:27

With 20 United States combat Veterans ending their lives through suicide every day, we know that the invisible wounds of war – like Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injuries – haunt our soldiers long after they return home from active duty. But our Veterans aren’t the only ones suffering from these war-related disabilities. And while the marriages of combat Veterans are 62% more likely to end in divorce than those of non-military couples, Joni and Friends is doing everything we can to serve every member of our military families.

Spouses of Veterans are often overlooked and are rarely provided the opportunities they need to put words to their struggles. While our Warrior Getaways provide help and hope to both servicemen and women, our recent Arizona Warrior Getaway included a special support group for the wives of military men.

These heroic women are devoted to their husbands and want to do whatever it takes to help them heal physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Yet as they sacrificially make their husbands’ healing their priority, their own very real needs can fall by the wayside. But Joni and Friends is dedicated to saving marriages and strengthening families, and at our Arizona Warrior Getaway, we made sure that each Warrior’s wife was heard.

Working with professional songwriters, the wives of our disabled combat Veterans were finally able to voice their deep hurts and silent fears. Music therapy has a way of bringing stifled emotions to the surface, and these Warrior wives bravely shared struggles through their songwriting that had never been revealed before. One of the wives explained that these healing sessions were “raw, open, vulnerable. It was the first time I was able to speak these words out loud.”

“He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.”

Job 12:22

Jesus strengthened the faith of these precious wives during our Warrior Getaway, and it was clearly evident in the song lyrics they created.

“God can take the hardest thing and make it something great given time. He’s always in control! And by his grace we grow.”

These are the heart-felt words of the Warrior wives’ song entitled “The Way That I See You.”

“I think this song is recognition of how deeply we love our husbands and how committed we are to their healing. If our song helps other wives hang in there when marriage is tough, well then there was purpose in our suffering,”

A Warrior Wife

And after their song was sung to their husbands, couple after couple shared what God had been placing on their hearts. They committed to doing life differently once returning home, and they renewed their commitments to stay together. Some vowed to make their spouse a priority, others decided to join a support group, and others heard God’s call to help other military couples that were struggling. Everyone leaned in closer to each other, and closer still to Jesus.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God!”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4