The "S" Word
Instead of starting at the beginning though, I'm dying to share what He taught me just this morning. Don't you LOVE that still small voice of God? Whenever I hear it whisper it's way into my thoughts, I just know my life is about to be changed forever!
I go to a Wednesday morning Bible study each week. Our teacher is a woman named Kay, and she is a gift straight from Heaven into my life. From the moment she begins to speak, I'm carried away by her love for Jesus and the Word. Before I know it, almost 2 hours has passed, and I'm a changed woman.
This session, we're doing a "Marriage Without Regrets" study. Who am I to God as a woman, a wife, and a mom? What about my husband? How does God want our family to look and function? Fascinating...
Of course, no Biblical study on marriage would be complete without digging into the meaning and application of the "S" word (as Kay calls it) :-) Do you have an ugly "S" word in mind? You know what I'm talking about...
SUBMIT
(I know...choke...gag...roll eyes here. Are you done? Okay, I'll go on.) ;-)
I wrote a long time ago about the realization that I needed to submit (or "arrange myself under") my dear husband. It was HARD. If you want to read that post, HERE it is.
Today though, God gave me a little slice of humble pie (you know the stuff...it's tastes a tad bitter, but leaves you feeling satisfied like nothing else) regarding submission....and my attitude on the subject.
It struck me in class today how God helps me to submit in such a unique way. Let me explain...
I used to feel (embarrassingly) proud that God seemed to speak to me before he'd speak to Luke, my husband. Then, when Luke would come to me with a plan or an idea that he believed came from God, I'd secretly think something along the lines of "yeah, I know, God told me that a looooong time ago" (with an irritatingly superior voice in my mind)...all the while smiling sweetly and saying "great idea, honey!"
Ugh. Sometimes I just can't STAND myself!!
Well, today the Lord gave me a new insight. Could it be that He tells me first so that I'm in the proper mindset to encourage and willingly submit to my husband? He's giving me a glimpse of what he has in store first so that I can, in turn, honor Him and my husband by being the wife that God wants me to be.
I wonder...will the Lord always be so kind to me, or will there come a time when He stops whispering to me first and just goes straight to my husband? After years of knowing with certainty that my husband is a man of God and is seeking his face, it should be simple, right?
Hmpf. I'm reminded right now of the Israelites being led through the desert with a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of flame by night...and yet they turned away from God.
So, I'm humbled today. God doesn't speak to me before he speaks to my husband because I'm so special...he speaks to me first because he knows I'm weak and need the extra little nod from Him!
Leave it to God to let me feel loved and precious first... and then gently brought to my knees in humility!
Oh my sweet friend! I LOVE all your posts and so many I learn from or can relate to! Oh yes, the word "SUBMIT". I remember Brad & I doing our pre-marital counseling and when that word popped up I had no clue what they were talking about at all! I was so clueless...so of course this part of our counseling was a little longer than for most! okay...a lot loooonger! Thank-you for this post...Love you girl!
So glad to see a post from you! I've been thinking of you and wondering if everything was ok!
Our church talked about the woman's and man's roles recently. The pastor said that we are equal in creation and equal under the cross, but we just have different roles. Yes, we are to submit to the man as the head.
BUT..then he said this, "but if a man is sitting on his lazyboy chair, barking orders at his wife - that man does not know anything about leadership. It is not about dominion, it is about dying. the man's role is about standing between his wife and the devil or anything else that is trying to harm her...unto death if necessary."
And I thought to myself, "hmmm, submitting sounds a lot easier!" :)
It sometimes feels as though as an individual, I'm the only one seeing or feeling what you have just described. But thanks be to God for allowing you to post this very topic and the gentle way in which He humbles us by giving us that little extra attention and nod so that we can submit to our husband when he approaches us with the idea. Thank you and God bless you for being willing to be vulnerable in public.