Titus 2:3-5-"the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." NKJV
Ugh! Here is the one I was most fearing.... "Obedient to their husbands". I am the least qualified person to be writing this blog, let me tell you.
When my husband and I first got married, I was 22, I thought I knew exactly how I wanted my marriage to go, and how my husband was to treat me. Likewise, my husband felt he knew exactly how he wanted his marriage to go and how I should treat him. As you can imagine, the two did not agree. So it was not shocking when after just a few years our marriage was about to be over. We couldn't agree on anything. I kept wanting to have my way and he kept needing to have his.
I am very fortunate to say that I have an amazing Christian mentor and friend who had the courage to tell me that I was not putting God first in my marriage or following what the bible says a wife should act like. It hurt to hear, but she was right. She sent me verses on cards that I place everywhere so that I could read them and be reminded of God's love through this hard time and how I needed to treat my husband.
I can't say that it was easy, or that everything changed overnight. But slowly, by my actions speaking louder than my cruel words had been, we started to repair our marriage. The more I read the bible, the more I began to realize just how much the world had influenced my ideas of what a wife and marriage looked like.
Satan has worked very hard to destroy what God wanted marriage and family to be. Why? Because God uses marriage to build couples up individually and as a unit to do and be amazing. I have learned so many lessons from my husband. Often times those lessons have been that I am more selfish than I realized, that I'm quick to judge others, and slow to listen. I would probably not have learned those lessons as well if I remained single because it wouldn't have mattered.
Whether us women like it or not, God designed the Husband as the head over us.
Ephesians 5:24
"Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." NIV
You know what I think when I read that? That's impossible! Everything? I have to submit in everything?
So one time I gave it a try. I tried to submit in everything for just one single day. Guess what happened. At the end of the day, I was exhausted. And my husband noticed. He told me thank you for working so hard and showing him love in so many different ways. And then he gave me a back massage. I know some of your husbands probably do that often, but that was a big deal for mine. I felt like it was God telling me "you deserved this reward". Well of course I wanted to do it again the next day, and the next. No, I didn't get a back massage each night. But my attitude was different, my husbands attitude was different, the whole atmosphere was different. It was calmer. It was rewarding.
God will reward you for being submissive to your husband. It's not easy, especially when we are not getting along or I know his decision is going to make my life harder. But God does rewards us.
I have encountered people, especially women, in my life that question it. Calling me out and saying I should not act this way. I was the same way before God got a hold of me. They are looking at marriage with the worlds glasses. God wants to give you His glasses for marriage. You get those special glasses by reading His word and then acting on it.
Hope this was an encouraging moment for you today.
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