I've really been thinking and praying. Knowing that God has placed on my heart to share about the subject of being a submissive wife, I want to handle it properly. I in no way want to offend, but I do want to present, what I feel, is God's calling for the wife.
As a little girl, I witnessed three very important women in my life be submissive: my mom and my grandmothers.
These women kept house, raised their children, did what their husbands asked--even if they didn't agree to it or have time and they did it without complaining.
I wasn't raised in a Christian home, so I didn't know the Biblical mandate for being a submissive wife. But I did have great examples.
My paternal grandmother, Maw, raised 12 children. She cooked every meal, did the laundry, cleaned house on top of all the "other" chores: taking care of the chickens, hogs, bees..you name it. Yes, she had enough kids that she had plenty of help and let me say that my Paw did his fair share too. When you have 12 children, it takes everybody doing their part! Paw was good to her. He loved and respected her and took care of her as long as he lived. When she got cancer, he stayed home with the kids....6 or 7 were still at home..while she flew to Maryland for treatment. When she came home, he babied her so much. So, my Paw was not the type of man to lord over a woman. Maw made sure that her husband had hot meals when he came home from work. She made sure he had clean clothes to go to work in and that they were mended and maintained. She baked his favorite pies and heated his water for his bath. Paw was a coal miner and in those days, heating water for a bath was a job in and of itself! She never sat down until she saw that his needs and wants were met.
My maternal grandmother, Mommaw, raised 3 children. Like my Maw, she cooked and cleaned, did laundry and those "other" chores without complaining. Poppaw and Mommaw lived near the railroad tracks and so they routinely got "hobo's" knocking on their door needing a meal. She never complained that she'd just cleaned the kitchen or that she was tired; if there were no leftovers, you would find her cooking another meal to feed this man while Poppaw sat on the back porch and talked with him. Like Paw, Poppaw doted on Mommaw. He would drive her to church, even though he himself didn't go, and he would sit in the car while she was inside. He would drive her to town and if they could afford it, would buy her a meal at the diner while they were there. He was devastated when she died.
Then there is my mom. She's been working since I was 5 years old and she's been the model of a submissive wife. Like my grandmothers, she has been strength for my dad. She takes care of him and does whatever he asks. Even now, holding down two jobs, she makes Daddy a priority. Sometimes I shake my head in awe of her.
So I guess taking care of my man comes naturally to me. I've been blessed to be a stay at home mom for almost 17 years. Philip works so hard for our family and I respect and appreciate that so much. It's natural for me to have a cold glass of water or tea and supper waiting on him when he gets home from work. It's natural to keep our house clean so he can freely invite people over. It's natural to make sure his uniforms are clean and well kept. It's natural to want to do those things for him.
We've been married almost 25 years and our marriage is stronger now than it's ever been. Our love is deeper and truer and we completely respect and trust each other. He is, indeed, my best friend. He treats me like I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him and that just makes me want to do more for him.
I believe the most important thing that all of these relationships have in common is the fact that the man was and is the head of the household. And according to Ephesians 5:23, that's the way God intended it to be..."For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the Head of His body, the church; He gave His life to be her Savior." NLT
Now that I'm a Christian, it is even more important to me to be the wife that God wants me to be. "These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to take care of their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the Word of God." Titus 2: 4-5 NLT
In the next few posts, I'd like to break these verses down and share what they mean to me.
Until then,
Blessings.....
No comments:
Post a Comment