Lifestyle Change #1

In looking over my list of lifestyle changes, I wanted to prioritize them. To me, making God first was the most important...and I still believe that....I just don't believe that's where God wants me to start with my posts. I really believe that He wants me to start with being a more submissive wife.

Now, I am amazed at how many women, and even more amazed at how many Christian women have a problem with this.

Have we allowed ourselves to become so prideful that we refuse to live and be the person God created us to be??

In Genesis 2:18, God spoke and said that He was going to make a helper, a companion, a helpmeet...for Adam. We have to first look at what it means to be a helper. I'm not even going to get up and go after my dictionary, because it's a very simple word. A helper goes along beside someone, aiding them, making their load lighter. We...women...were created by Almighty God to do..to be..this very thing for our husbands! No wonder when we try to put ourselves in a different role, so many problems are created!

A couple of weeks ago as I was thinking about this particular lifestyle change, God brought to my mind a book that I bought almost 7 years ago when we still lived in Colorado. The title of this book is Loving Your Husband by Cynthia Heald. I originally bought it to do a Bible study with some other women, but God changed our course and so I just stuck it on my shelf.

Over these last 7 years, I've picked it up periodically and thought, "Hey, I ought to sit down and do this study." But quite honestly, laziness or that "Nah, I'm okay" mentality would kick in..so I'd move on.

First let me say that I think I do a pretty good job at the submissive wife role. BUT...there are many times that DH will make a decision and I can be found in a dark corner doing the angry dance...or out in my laundry room mumbling under my breath things that would shock everyone who knows me. There are times I can be found pouting or having the attitude of "Okay big boy....we're going to do it your way....(low growl here.....)". As submissive as I am, I don't think that's the attitude God had in mind when He created me.

A lifestyle change is in order and it can't come through laziness or just ignoring the fact that there's a problem in the first place.

So I made a decision to begin this study. The first 2 lessons were pretty much introductory talking about making sure that Jesus is my foundation and that I fully rely on and trust in Him to give me everything I need to fulfill this role He's put me in.

Then this morning I began lesson 3..."I Will Make Him a Helper." Okay...so far so good. I help Philip. Really I do. Most of the time. When I'm feeling up to it. He's an understanding guy...so if I slack up a bit, he'll understand....right??....

In the many times I've read Genesis, it never dawned on me until this morning that God first gave Adam the command to NOT eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They then posed the question..why? Hmm..well, since I'd never noticed it, I'd never thought about it till this morning. I sat at the dining room table, chewing on the end of my pen, thinking about that. I decided that it's because man was created to be in charge. To lead and guide. He would be responsible for making sure that rules were followed. And maybe..just maybe..because we women can be easily persuaded. We trust easily. Can be gullible. Men just aren't that way. At least my man isn't and I'm willing to bet, neither are yours.

They then asked what did "become one flesh" mean to me? To me it means to be totally in tune with, sold out to, on the same page with, coming together in like-mindedness (???), sharing everything with no other human. Feeling incomplete when the other isn't by your side. If I'm right, doesn't that mean DH is....me??! So, when I disagree with him, I'm disagreeing with..me. (As if thinking about that won't make me crazier than I already am.....!)

I then went on to read Titus 2: 3-5. Like Genesis, I've read this passage many times and refer to it often, especially in training my daughter and speaking with other teenagers and young women. But I never noticed the end of verse 5 until today. It's saying if I do everything in the previous sentences that I "...will not bring shame n the Word of God."

Whoa!!! What??? Where did that come from?? If I fail to train younger women... if I fail to love my husband and children...if I fail to live wisely and pure...if I fail to take care of my home, do good and be submissive to my husband then I bring shame on the Word of God!!!! Okay, so..not only am I failing my husband and my children, now I'm bringing shame to God and His Word. Yes..this goes much deeper than pride and getting my way...

So...this road for me may be a bit tougher than I first thought, but with the revelation of bringing shame to God..I have a much deeper drive to make this lifestyle change.

I hope you will continue with me on this journey and maybe you can glean a bit from it too.

I want to leave you with one last question that was posed in this lesson. I'd never thought about it and quite honestly I still don't have an answer. I'd love to hear what you think.

Here goes.. "Why do you think God waited to create Eve?"

Blessings.....