Let me present a hypothetical situation to you: Suppose you’re a married woman, and you take a new job which puts you in a close working relationship with a single man. Your husband is not happy about this, but you don’t want to give up the new job. How should a Christian woman handle this situation?

If I were talking with you, I would say first and foremost, don’t lose sight of your priorities. A marriage is eternally significant; a job is not. Even if you feel your husband is overreacting because of a jealous nature, you may have to be willing to go that extra mile for the sake of your marriage.

If you are truly convinced your husband’s fears are totally unfounded and you see no signs of trouble in your relationship with this new coworker, then you need to find ways to show your husband there is no threat to your marriage. You might invite the single man to have dinner with you and your husband, in your home if possible. That says a lot. It tells your husband and your coworker that your marriage is the most important thing to you, and it gives your husband an opportunity to get to know this man.

I would advise you be very open with your husband. Explain you really would like to keep the job, but if he is not comfortable with your working relationship with this man, you would be willing to give it up for the sake of your marriage. Make sure he understands you are first concerned about him and his feelings. But ask him to at least get to know this man before coming to a conclusion. Ask him to pray with you about the decision.

Make certain you are willing to put your marriage first, even if you feel your husband is over-reacting and unfair. Do it for the Lord and do it because of your marriage vows, which are sacred. Hopefully you’ll be able to have a good dialogue with your husband and show him he has no need to worry. But if not, God will honor you for your commitment to your marriage, even if it means giving up the job.

Working relationships with those of the opposite sex can present us with some unique challenges. As believers, our strongest weapon is prayer. We can have some wonderful camaraderie with the men in our work worlds, but we must always be alert to the dangers that lurk.