STLS: Christianity & Marriage
This week's topic for Seek The Lord Sunday is:
Tell us about how following Christ has had an impact on your marriage.
I hesitated to make this a topic because I didn't want to leave single folks out of the fun. If the topic of marriage doesn't apply to your life right now, please share how being a Christian has had an impact on another relationship in you life.
The verse that comes to my mind when talking about Christians and marriage is probably the same verse that comes to mind for lots of people:
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Ephesians 5:21-25
To be perfectly honest, these verses rubbed me the wrong way for many years. I've always been a pretty independent gal...I can do anything myself and don't need a man's help...where's my bra? It needs to be burned!
I loved my husband. I respected my husband. I adored my husband. I supported my husband and his dreams. But submit to him? I don't think so. We're equal partners here...a team. No one submits to anyone! And what do you mean my husband is the head of me? I have my own head, and it contains my very own capable brains, thank-you-very-much!
It's interesting to note that these rebellious and/or independent attitudes are the same attitudes I had toward God too. This is my life. Let me live it. I'll accept you...at least the parts that "work for me".
Ahh, I wouldn't go back there for all the money in the world! Being so bull headed and "independent" was an incredible, exhausting amount of WORK. When I finally submitted myself to God and His ideas about who I am and who my husband is...there was such peace in that! God made us, after all. It seems obvious (at least now) that He would know best how we "fit" as a family with one another.
Okay, so I've submitted to God. It took a bit longer for me to accept the idea of submitting to my husband. Don't get me wrong. My husband is an amazing man...THE most amazing man I've ever known, in fact. But he's still a man. He's not perfect. And I still didn't like the idea of submitting to anyone but God Almighty.
But one day I felt called to this role of submission. I didn't like it one bit! It didn't make sense to me that God would make me a strong woman only to have me submit to someone else for the rest of my life. But I decided to do it anyway. It took a deliberate choice on my part. I chose to submit to my husband out of reverence for Christ. There are times when I don't want to submit for my husband's sake...so I do it for Jesus' sake. I do it because Jesus is worthy of my submission and He asks me to submit to my husband.
Whew...that was a tough pill for me to swallow!
What does submission look like in practical terms? For us, it meant that we still talk through everything like we always have. We still make decisions together. We are still a team. There are times when we disagree, but one person feels much stronger about their position, so we usually go with their way of things. But when it comes down to a disagreement that we just can't come to a resolution on...that's when hubby gets his way. For me, submission to my husband also means that I pray LOTS more for him. I pray for God's guidance and wisdom.
And do you know what happened when I made the deliberate choice to submit to my husband? A miracle, that's what. When I began to treat my husband with the respect that God says is due him...he grew. He was a great guy to start with, but with God at work in our marriage, my husband became a great Man of God. He became a stronger man. He thrived on my respect and submission. He felt his God given responsibility of being the head of our household, and he lived up to that responsibility.
And I grew too. Since I no longer felt the need to be the one calling all the shots and since my husband was stepping into his role as head of our family, I could focus on the roles that God DID call me to. It was so liberating and joyful and peaceful! I'm so thankful to God for all the work He's done in our marriage and for my amazing husband.
Now it's your turn...share how Jesus has worked in your relationship. I'm looking forward to reading all about it!
1. Kimberly | 2. Becky | 3. Lisa |
Learn more about Seek The Lord Sunday here.
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Thanks for another great topic. Although I think I could write a lot more than one post on this subject! (And I stayed up way too late writing this one!)