JD Vance has been criticised for expressing his hope that his wife Usha will convert to Christianity. But Mo Tizzard, who has navigated faith differences in her own marriage says desiring your spouse’s salvation isn’t offensive - it’s the most loving thing you can want for them
When US Vice President JD Vance spoke publicly of his Catholic faith and added he hopes his Hindu wife will one day share that faith, it stirred up some criticism from those who felt he was being disrespectful.
It’s easy to see why his comments have provoked such strong feelings. There are millions of people across the world in mixed faith marriages, or where husband and wife hold entirely opposite worldviews.
JD and Usha married in 2014, but JD wasn’t received into the Catholic Church until 2019. If JD’s decision to follow Jesus has created a new tension in his marriage then I can relate.
My discovery that Jesus really is alive created a dilemma when it came to my husband. When I told Bill that I’d become a Christian, after seven years of marriage and two children, he wasn’t best pleased. In fact he gave me an ultimatum: “It’s God or me!”
I knew very little about Christianity. I just knew that God existed, Jesus was real and he had died on a cross to save us. I knew I couldn’t deny him. So I gave Bill quite a shock when I said, as gently as I could, “Um well, you can’t put man before God.”
This statement led to all sorts of problems that I won’t go into here. But my husband was clear. He didn’t want God in our home or in our family. He made his strong objections very clear to me in all sorts of ways.
JD Vance isn’t being offensive when he says he wants his wife to become a Christian
I knew that the best chance of Bill finding faith in Jesus for himself, was for me to stay true to the Lord and seek his detailed help in how to speak and act around my husband; as well as how to not react to his continual strong objections to my beliefs.
Loving God and loving my husband was a no brainer, I wasn’t going to choose one over the other. But keeping the balance of loving both wasn’t without challenges.
Giving up and letting my husband continue in his unbelief and rejection of the gospel wasn’t an option for me. I really didn’t want him to stand before the Lord of glory at the end of his life without knowing that he had accepted Jesus, and that his sins were covered and paid for. Whatever was required of me, whatever I had to let go or relinquish, my husband’s salvation was a priority. I knew that God would help me as I put him first in my life. Loving is the easy part, but acting out that love required some learning.
I know from personal experience that JD Vance isn’t being offensive when he says he wants his wife to become a Christian. Salvation is the most precious thing he, or anyone else, can desire for their other half. It’s love that motivates a Christian to want to be one in spirit with their partner. No matter how many admirable qualities JD sees in Usha, he will always be aware that her salvation is an eternal priority.
As Christians we should be joining in prayer for JD Vance and the thousands of other husbands and wives who are praying for the salvation of their partners. When you’ve been praying for some time for your loved one to be saved, you need the strength of other Christians praying with you and for you. I know I needed that strength and the committed prayer of others made a lot of difference in my own story.
Ultimately, loving my husband and the prayer support of Christian friends eventually led to his salvation and our oneness in every dimension of our marriage.
Love is the motive and love is the way that eternal salvation came to this earth. So, JD Vance, keep loving your wife, press into the Lord for direction and hopefully one day she will be one in all aspects with you.
How to pray when he doesn’t believe by Mo Tizzard is available now
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