My husband and I had a rather loud disagreement last night. We really disagreed. Loudly. L-O-U-D-L-Y. Anyway, in the midst of our arguing he was busying himself in the kitchen, opening the fridge, closing the fridge, getting a knife, washing the knife, doing some other things.
All the while, I was standing my ground, digging in my heels firmly on my side of the argument. Finally he announced that he was going to bed.
About a half hour later, I followed him to bed. I got undressed and slipped in next to him. I could feel him breathing that certain way that tells me he is fast asleep. I rolled over and slept as well, though not very soundly.
This morning I awoke to an empty bed. I suppose Lew got up and left without wanting to wake me, either to be polite or for fear of restarting our argument.
I had some appointments in the next town this afternoon, so I wasn't going to be home for lunch today. I went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. When I opened the fridge I discovered that he had placed a brown bag with a homemade lunch in the fridge. For me.
That's what he was doing while we were arguing. He was making my lunch because he knew I would need something to eat today. Even while I was yelling at him, he was taking care of my needs.
It got me thinking ...
If the tables were turned, I'm not so sure I would have done the same for him.
He doesn't know it yet, but when he comes home from work I'm going to give him one of his favorite treats. And I'm not going to stop until he's satisfied, if you get my drift.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
God Knew It All Along
I was thinking about Adam and Eve and the fruit, and I came up with a few thoughts.
- God knew they ate the fruit before He ever confronted them. He is omnipresent = everywhere, omniscient = all knowing, and omnipotent = all powerful. Clearly, He knew the whole scene was going down as it was happening. Why didn't He stop them?
- God called out to Adam first. Why not Eve? Could it be that Adam was the responsible party? Was he, perhaps, placed in authority over Eve? Hmmm ...
- God punishes Adam not only for eating the fruit, but also for allowing himself to be persuaded to do so by his wife. (another hmmm...) Could it be that God's plan is for the wife to submit to her husband, and NOT for the husband to submit to his wife?
Friday, February 11, 2011
Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)
Submission is probably one of the most controversial subjects in the Bible, especially in today's culture of "feminism," where women are encouraged to be equal to men in every way.
When I look at this verse it gives me great peace to know that God has laid out for me a plan that lifts the cares of the world from my shoulders and stills my spirit.
When I studied this verse, just like any other verse, I broke it into parts.
Wives
Well, obviously Paul is addressing wives. NOT girlfriends, NOT daughters. He is specifically addressing wives, the people who have made a covenant with their husbands before God.
submit yourselves
The word "submit" means to place oneself under the authority of another. So wives are instructed to place themselves under the authority
unto your own husbands,
Many women misunderstand this phrase to mean that women must submit to men. WRONG. This only refers to one (1) wife and one (1) husband. Wives are being instructed here to submit to their own husbands.
Each husband is unique in his specific needs and wants, and every wife must place herself under the authority (submission to) her own husband. She must not concern herself with what most other husband want, nor should she concern herself with what other wives do or don't do. She must concern herself with her own husband and her submission to him.
as unto the Lord.
"As" means in the same manner. Simply put, wives must submit to their own husbands in the same way that they submit to the Lord. In other words, if I live my life under the authority of the Lord, then I must be under my own husband's authority, in the same way.
This caused me to take a very good look at my life and marriage, and the way I conduct myself. Good grief, I have been so wrong for so long. If the Lord God called me to do something, would I not obey Him? Then for goodness sake, why wouldn't I obey my own husband, who, being placed in authority over me by God, has asked me to do something?
And, by the way, I know a bunch of people who will disagree with me. Spare me your opinions, please. This is between me, my own husband, and our God. I will face the judgement seat of God and he alone will determine the extent of my obedience (or disobedience). I sure want Him to be happy with how I obeyed His instructions.
Submission is probably one of the most controversial subjects in the Bible, especially in today's culture of "feminism," where women are encouraged to be equal to men in every way.
When I look at this verse it gives me great peace to know that God has laid out for me a plan that lifts the cares of the world from my shoulders and stills my spirit.
When I studied this verse, just like any other verse, I broke it into parts.
Wives
Well, obviously Paul is addressing wives. NOT girlfriends, NOT daughters. He is specifically addressing wives, the people who have made a covenant with their husbands before God.
submit yourselves
The word "submit" means to place oneself under the authority of another. So wives are instructed to place themselves under the authority
unto your own husbands,
Many women misunderstand this phrase to mean that women must submit to men. WRONG. This only refers to one (1) wife and one (1) husband. Wives are being instructed here to submit to their own husbands.
Each husband is unique in his specific needs and wants, and every wife must place herself under the authority (submission to) her own husband. She must not concern herself with what most other husband want, nor should she concern herself with what other wives do or don't do. She must concern herself with her own husband and her submission to him.
as unto the Lord.
"As" means in the same manner. Simply put, wives must submit to their own husbands in the same way that they submit to the Lord. In other words, if I live my life under the authority of the Lord, then I must be under my own husband's authority, in the same way.
This caused me to take a very good look at my life and marriage, and the way I conduct myself. Good grief, I have been so wrong for so long. If the Lord God called me to do something, would I not obey Him? Then for goodness sake, why wouldn't I obey my own husband, who, being placed in authority over me by God, has asked me to do something?
And, by the way, I know a bunch of people who will disagree with me. Spare me your opinions, please. This is between me, my own husband, and our God. I will face the judgement seat of God and he alone will determine the extent of my obedience (or disobedience). I sure want Him to be happy with how I obeyed His instructions.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
I apologize ...
I'm sorry, folks. I said at the beginning that I would devote most of this blog to helping wives understand the joys of biblical submission. I sort of got off track recently, but I'm back on the train, and headed in the right direction.
I promise to be more diligent about keeping my focus on God and my husband (in that order), and redirect my blogging toward becoming a more godly wife.
Would this count as a New Year's resolution? Oh, my!!
I promise to be more diligent about keeping my focus on God and my husband (in that order), and redirect my blogging toward becoming a more godly wife.
Would this count as a New Year's resolution? Oh, my!!
Friday, December 10, 2010
The Stress of Christmas
Christmas is a time of great stress for us. We don't intend for it to be that way, but it just turns out to be a time filled with unexpected expenses, travel (including figuring out sleeping arrangements), time management, parties, gifts, gifts, gifts.
I've been thinking about how to make Christmas time less stressful this time around, and I think I may have come up with a plan.
This year we are going to limit our gift giving to immediate family, AND the gift has to be something under $10. I think that's a pretty good start.
Of course, when we go to see family, we'll need to have gifts (of course), so we are in the process of making a whole bunch of jarred cookie mixes. I'm sure it won't be the usual gift that they expect each year, but it's the thought that counts, right? Besides Christmas is about focusing on the greatest Gift of all, the gift of Jesus.
I've been thinking about how to make Christmas time less stressful this time around, and I think I may have come up with a plan.
This year we are going to limit our gift giving to immediate family, AND the gift has to be something under $10. I think that's a pretty good start.
Of course, when we go to see family, we'll need to have gifts (of course), so we are in the process of making a whole bunch of jarred cookie mixes. I'm sure it won't be the usual gift that they expect each year, but it's the thought that counts, right? Besides Christmas is about focusing on the greatest Gift of all, the gift of Jesus.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A Special Thanksgiving
This year I'm pulling out all the stops for today's Thanksgiving dinner. I've prepared the turkey and stuffing, the homemade cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie, and Lew's favorite punch!
I love to serve my husband and children by preparing nutritious food that makes them happy.
What a glorious Thanksgiving!
Oh, yeah, and what a wonderful Thanksgiving night it will be for Lew! (*wink, wink*)
I love to serve my husband and children by preparing nutritious food that makes them happy.
What a glorious Thanksgiving!
Oh, yeah, and what a wonderful Thanksgiving night it will be for Lew! (*wink, wink*)
Friday, October 29, 2010
I Blew It!
I really blew it. I'm sure by now you're thinking I am this wonderful, submissive wife who would never, ever go against her husband.
Wrong.
Finances are somewhat tight for us right now, and I understand that. However, there is always a little part of me that wants to have prettier and prettier things around the house. Nothing extravagant mind you, but a nicer table cloth here, a prettier set of curtains there, you know, little things.
Lew finds the materialism unnecessary, and I can certainly understand his viewpoint, but sometimes I see a new lamp and I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I just GOTTA HAVE IT! Know what I mean?
Well, we were antiquing last weekend, and I found a desk that I just HAD to have. It was much more expensive than our budget could handle and Lew told me so, but I wouldn't let up. Anyway, there were some other people from our church at the antique shop, and I just happened to mention the much-too-expensive desk to them.
Long story short, they sort of shamed him into buying me my prize.
Trouble is that it really was much too expensive, so we had to make a lot of adjustments over the following week to make up the difference.
One adjustment we had to make was Lew's birthday dinner. You see, every year, we treat each other to a very nice dinner out to celebrate our birthdays. Lew likes a little bistro in the next town. It's pricey, but the food is extraordinary. Anyway, when I asked him where he would like to have his birthday dinner, he told me he would like to stay home this year and have my homemade lasagna. When I pressed him about why he wanted to forgo our tradition, he kissed me and told me that, this year he would rather have my lasagna than any other meal on earth.
Well, his birthday came and I was preparing my famous lasagna. Then it hit me. Of course! The desk! He decided to have dinner at home this year because we couldn't afford his birthday dinner ... because I embarrassed and shamed him into buying me that stupid desk.
Lew, being the loving husband, showed me grace by making sacrifices so that I could have something I wanted. He did so freely without complaint. I blew it and I knew it.
The desk will be on Ebay tomorrow.
Wrong.
Finances are somewhat tight for us right now, and I understand that. However, there is always a little part of me that wants to have prettier and prettier things around the house. Nothing extravagant mind you, but a nicer table cloth here, a prettier set of curtains there, you know, little things.
Lew finds the materialism unnecessary, and I can certainly understand his viewpoint, but sometimes I see a new lamp and I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I just GOTTA HAVE IT! Know what I mean?
Well, we were antiquing last weekend, and I found a desk that I just HAD to have. It was much more expensive than our budget could handle and Lew told me so, but I wouldn't let up. Anyway, there were some other people from our church at the antique shop, and I just happened to mention the much-too-expensive desk to them.
Long story short, they sort of shamed him into buying me my prize.
Trouble is that it really was much too expensive, so we had to make a lot of adjustments over the following week to make up the difference.
One adjustment we had to make was Lew's birthday dinner. You see, every year, we treat each other to a very nice dinner out to celebrate our birthdays. Lew likes a little bistro in the next town. It's pricey, but the food is extraordinary. Anyway, when I asked him where he would like to have his birthday dinner, he told me he would like to stay home this year and have my homemade lasagna. When I pressed him about why he wanted to forgo our tradition, he kissed me and told me that, this year he would rather have my lasagna than any other meal on earth.
Well, his birthday came and I was preparing my famous lasagna. Then it hit me. Of course! The desk! He decided to have dinner at home this year because we couldn't afford his birthday dinner ... because I embarrassed and shamed him into buying me that stupid desk.
Lew, being the loving husband, showed me grace by making sacrifices so that I could have something I wanted. He did so freely without complaint. I blew it and I knew it.
The desk will be on Ebay tomorrow.
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