Recently, I have been reflecting a lot on being a wife. Maybe this is because I am thinking so much about the baby, the changes that will occur in our life, etc, I don't know, but it has been on my mind a lot. Everybody has a different idea of what being a wife is all about. For some people it is a decision they made, something that just happened, something they put up with, a status that causes them to expect something or certain treatment from their husbands, etc. But I truly feel I am called by God to be a wife. For some of you that might make total sense, for others you may be scratching your heads. But I feel that God has called me to be a wife to Michael, and that is one of the most important callings in my life (along with being God's daughter, a mother, etc.)
So, what does it mean to be called to be a wife? For me, it changes day to day, but fundamentally it means I am to honor, respect, and submit to my husband. Lately that has come to fruition in a lot of little things in my life. For example, I used to be obsessed with efficiency. (God is helping me to let go of this one.) When Michael and I are both at home, if he is working on a yard project I feel like I should be getting the laundry done, or the dishes put away, you get the idea. But often he asks me to help him. My help is usually fetching this or that, or being an extra set of eyes, or even just sitting and talking to him while he is working. That used to grate on me a bit. I had other things on my to do list that I needed to get to and wouldn't the efficient use of time be for us to both work on our chores simultaneously? But what I have learned is that there is a lot of joy in spending that time together. When we are doing things like that together we end up talking, sharing ideas, telling about our day or something we are thinking about, just doing life together, and that brings us closer as a couple. The dishes will be there for me to do later, and laundry can get put away tomorrow, but that time together is precious and priceless.
It also means trying to think of things from his point of view. Simple little things, that may not mean much to me but do to him. In our house, I know he loves to have the island in our kitchen clear of cluttler and cleaned off. It's a little thing, but the first thing he sees when he walks through the door. I have a habit of leaving odds and ends or mail or what have you on there, or not thoroughly wiping it down every time I use it. But, if I make an effort to spend a minute cleaning it off before he comes home, it can make a big difference for him. Maybe that sounds like a 1950s wife to you, but to see the smile on his face when he walks through the door, it makes all the difference.
And on the submission piece...before you quit reading on me, hear me out. I know the idea of the submissive wife is not exactly trendy in our society. But I have done some study on the Biblical principles surrounding marriage, and that is what Jesus called us to be as wives, and who am I to argue with Him? Besides, submission doesn't mean I am a doormat, that I have no opinion, and that Michael dominates everything. What it does mean is that I share my opinion in a respectful way, not shouting or demanding or fighting or crying to get my way. I can calmly and rationally discuss what I think with him, and we can work things out together. (By the way, because I am married to a Godly man who knows that Jesus tells him to love his wife as Christ loved the church, that also means he would never take advantage of my submission, but will seek to make decisions that honor me!) What I have learned in practicing submission is there is a lot of liberation in it! It is amazing how much less stress I feel when I realize that, when tough things come up, I can hand it over to Michael and let him take responbsibility. It is freeing! When I try to take charge and do things my way, I end up with an enourmous sense of stress and tension, but when I turn it over to him, and know he will take care of things, I feel free and joyful!
Anyway, these are just small examples, but I find that more and more God is calling me to try to understand things from my husband's point of view, or do little things that I know will help him out, make him happy, or ease his day. Sometimes I ignore those inner promptings, but I'm always sorry when I do, because when I follow through on them it brings a new joy and closeness in our marriage that can only benefit all of us!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
My Amazing Godly Husband
Is there anything better than being married to a godly man? I know I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, but a couple of things lately really drove that home to me even more than usual. First, there was our wonderful, wonderful anniversary celebration last week. Our anniversary was last Wednesday, a day full of a flooded basement, meetings for Michael, and barely a moment to even see each other. Yet, in the middle of his busy day, he still found time to bring home a dozen red roses. He totally made my day, despite all the time I had to spend sucking water out of our basement carpet!
Then, Saturday night he took me out for a fabulous night on the town! We haven't been out in awhile, you can chalk it up to me being tired, us watching our money, busy with family and friends, etc, but it was a big deal to have a great night out! And, my night out included some sushi and some wine, all of course on the pregnancy 'no-no' list. Michael totally encouraged me to celebrate on our anniversary and asked me several times during the week if I was going to have some wine at our dinner. I had told him yes, because I really felt God was ok with that. While we were having dinner Michael looked across the table at me and asked if I was worried about the wine. I told him no. His response? "Good, because God is taking care of our baby." Wow! That is how I feel too, and it was so nice to hear him confirm that and to know we are on the same page with trusting God to protect our child. I just looked at him with such admiration, realizing all over how amazing this man is. (By the way, he also gave me an amazing necklace for our anniversary. It has two diamonds in it. He told me one is for me, one for the baby. I about cried, it was so sweet!)
Today, Michael also helped God answer a prayer. After leaving my job, we have been dealing with all of the paperwork and logistics of getting me switched on to Michael's insurance. Nothing horrible, just the general run around you get from insurance companies. Anyway, I had prayed about it, asking God to make everything go smoothly, no hiccups along the way, just easy, breezy, presto. Today was the day Michael was first able to file all the paperwork with his insurance company. They told him it would take several weeks to process it and get me a new insurance card, and I have a doctor appointment tomorrow. He called them to talk through it, and long story short, he got me a temporary insurance card today so that there is no problem tomorrow. I thanked God for answering my prayer, and for using my husband to do it. Beautiful!
Then, Saturday night he took me out for a fabulous night on the town! We haven't been out in awhile, you can chalk it up to me being tired, us watching our money, busy with family and friends, etc, but it was a big deal to have a great night out! And, my night out included some sushi and some wine, all of course on the pregnancy 'no-no' list. Michael totally encouraged me to celebrate on our anniversary and asked me several times during the week if I was going to have some wine at our dinner. I had told him yes, because I really felt God was ok with that. While we were having dinner Michael looked across the table at me and asked if I was worried about the wine. I told him no. His response? "Good, because God is taking care of our baby." Wow! That is how I feel too, and it was so nice to hear him confirm that and to know we are on the same page with trusting God to protect our child. I just looked at him with such admiration, realizing all over how amazing this man is. (By the way, he also gave me an amazing necklace for our anniversary. It has two diamonds in it. He told me one is for me, one for the baby. I about cried, it was so sweet!)
Today, Michael also helped God answer a prayer. After leaving my job, we have been dealing with all of the paperwork and logistics of getting me switched on to Michael's insurance. Nothing horrible, just the general run around you get from insurance companies. Anyway, I had prayed about it, asking God to make everything go smoothly, no hiccups along the way, just easy, breezy, presto. Today was the day Michael was first able to file all the paperwork with his insurance company. They told him it would take several weeks to process it and get me a new insurance card, and I have a doctor appointment tomorrow. He called them to talk through it, and long story short, he got me a temporary insurance card today so that there is no problem tomorrow. I thanked God for answering my prayer, and for using my husband to do it. Beautiful!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Wow!
Yesterday I was blessed to get to hear from some people who are truly walking with God. Three people from Crossroads are in the process of selling off homes and businesses to move to Mamelodi, South Africa. For anyone out there not familiar, Crossroads has developed a partnership with a church over there. We have worked together on many things, with teams going back and forth between the two churches at various times. I have several good friends who have gone on week long trips to Mamelodi and come back with amazing stories of growth and seeing God first hand. But these people are going even one step further, following a calling from God to move there permanently. (You will be able to hear all about it on Crossroads website if you like. http://www.crossroads.net/)
I don't know if God will ever call me to something as big and visible as that trip. He may, or He may call me to be a great mothere right here in Cincinnati, or to reach out to someone who will then in turn be the person to move far away and do something grandiose. I have no idea, but I was inspired to hear their story. Whether what God calls me to do is what Brian Tome referred to as 'grunt work' or 'glory work' I want to be in tune with Him so that I can follow that calling. What I am learning is that in my life a lot of times that means slowing down. It is hard to hear God when I am trying to cram too many things into a day, a week, my life. As much as that feels efficient in the world's eyes, something to be glorified in getting everything done off of my to-do list, it isn't bringing glory to God, or bringing me in closer contact with Him, which is after all what I want. It is amazing how, when I spend some time with Him, suddenly the rest of my day falls into place. He multiplies my time and smooths the way for things to get done. Or, when things aren't done as quickly or easily as I would like He gives me a better attitude and it doesn't bother me.
It's funny - when I am spending time with Him, walking with Him, hearing from Him, everything in life is so much better! Yet it is so easy for me to forget that, to get caught up in my lists and my agendas without spending time with Him, and how quickly I then get off track. It is an ever-evolving process as to how my time with Him works, but I need it to work to continue on the growth and path that I want with Him in my life.
I don't know if God will ever call me to something as big and visible as that trip. He may, or He may call me to be a great mothere right here in Cincinnati, or to reach out to someone who will then in turn be the person to move far away and do something grandiose. I have no idea, but I was inspired to hear their story. Whether what God calls me to do is what Brian Tome referred to as 'grunt work' or 'glory work' I want to be in tune with Him so that I can follow that calling. What I am learning is that in my life a lot of times that means slowing down. It is hard to hear God when I am trying to cram too many things into a day, a week, my life. As much as that feels efficient in the world's eyes, something to be glorified in getting everything done off of my to-do list, it isn't bringing glory to God, or bringing me in closer contact with Him, which is after all what I want. It is amazing how, when I spend some time with Him, suddenly the rest of my day falls into place. He multiplies my time and smooths the way for things to get done. Or, when things aren't done as quickly or easily as I would like He gives me a better attitude and it doesn't bother me.
It's funny - when I am spending time with Him, walking with Him, hearing from Him, everything in life is so much better! Yet it is so easy for me to forget that, to get caught up in my lists and my agendas without spending time with Him, and how quickly I then get off track. It is an ever-evolving process as to how my time with Him works, but I need it to work to continue on the growth and path that I want with Him in my life.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Prayer
Yep, two posts in one day. I am feeling called to ask for some prayers. I don't know who will see this, or when, but God has shown me this morning that I could use some prayers from my community.
For the past week, I have had one of the worst allergy attacks of my life. I am used to allergies. I have had them for years, they are bad every spring, I take a variety of drugs to ward off the worst symptoms and wait them out until the pollen and all that craziness has died down and I get back to normal. This year they have been particularly bad though, maybe because I can't take any of my usual cocktail of OTC drugs. I have been miserable, not sleeping, and keeping poor Michael up in the process. At my doctor appointment this week I asked him about it and he prescribed a nasal spray that he assured me would not affect that baby at all, but would help me. I then went through 24 hours of struggling with whether that was true, should I take it or just suffer through for the good of the baby. I don't want to do anything that might hurt our child, but I realized that that attitude was not about protection for the baby, but was more about me living in fear. If I truly believe that God is all-powerful and that he is knitting this child together and knows all about him, then surly I can trust Him to not let this medication have any effect on my child. I had to come to grips with that, and repend to the Lord of my spirit of fear and recommit to living my life in Him and trusting Him.
This all happened last night. Then this morning, in reading the blog of a wise friend, it hit me that I need to pray to be delivered from these allergies. I have been praying that my child will not be afflicted with allergies, but I did not pray to God to take them away from me. Why not? Because I have had them all my life, I am used to them, I expect them? Is it worse than that? In some way do I enjoy the 'suffering' or my husband feeling bad for me? I pray to God for deliverance for the 'big things' that occur in life - do I not consider this a 'big thing?' The more I have thought about it, I believe these allergy attacks come from the devil. God doesn't want me suffering and miserable. He doesn't want me feeling like I need to be confined indoors instead of out enjoying his nature during this beautiful time of year. He doesn't want me sick or suffering, any more than I want my baby sick or suffering. I am His child and He wants good things for me.
So, I am praying. Better late than never, I am asking God to deliver me from the allergies. Not because I am fearful of the medicine, but because I believe that is what He wants, and I want to be in His will, I want to reflect Him image. Will you join me in that prayer, for deliverance from my allergies, and anything that may be holding you back in your life that you haven't recognized as such?
For the past week, I have had one of the worst allergy attacks of my life. I am used to allergies. I have had them for years, they are bad every spring, I take a variety of drugs to ward off the worst symptoms and wait them out until the pollen and all that craziness has died down and I get back to normal. This year they have been particularly bad though, maybe because I can't take any of my usual cocktail of OTC drugs. I have been miserable, not sleeping, and keeping poor Michael up in the process. At my doctor appointment this week I asked him about it and he prescribed a nasal spray that he assured me would not affect that baby at all, but would help me. I then went through 24 hours of struggling with whether that was true, should I take it or just suffer through for the good of the baby. I don't want to do anything that might hurt our child, but I realized that that attitude was not about protection for the baby, but was more about me living in fear. If I truly believe that God is all-powerful and that he is knitting this child together and knows all about him, then surly I can trust Him to not let this medication have any effect on my child. I had to come to grips with that, and repend to the Lord of my spirit of fear and recommit to living my life in Him and trusting Him.
This all happened last night. Then this morning, in reading the blog of a wise friend, it hit me that I need to pray to be delivered from these allergies. I have been praying that my child will not be afflicted with allergies, but I did not pray to God to take them away from me. Why not? Because I have had them all my life, I am used to them, I expect them? Is it worse than that? In some way do I enjoy the 'suffering' or my husband feeling bad for me? I pray to God for deliverance for the 'big things' that occur in life - do I not consider this a 'big thing?' The more I have thought about it, I believe these allergy attacks come from the devil. God doesn't want me suffering and miserable. He doesn't want me feeling like I need to be confined indoors instead of out enjoying his nature during this beautiful time of year. He doesn't want me sick or suffering, any more than I want my baby sick or suffering. I am His child and He wants good things for me.
So, I am praying. Better late than never, I am asking God to deliver me from the allergies. Not because I am fearful of the medicine, but because I believe that is what He wants, and I want to be in His will, I want to reflect Him image. Will you join me in that prayer, for deliverance from my allergies, and anything that may be holding you back in your life that you haven't recognized as such?
God Is So Good
I don't know why I feel the need to say this today, more than any other day, except that He is. For some reason, for no particular reason, this morning I have been overwhelmed by His goodness and His love for me, and all His children.
Since I haven't been working (truly a blessing from Him) I have been struggling with my days. Contrary to what so many people think about being bored if they weren't at work, I can't seem to find enough hours in the day to keep up with the house, errands, special projects, things to help out Michael, working out, getting ready for Baby, and spending time with God. Many days I have been waking up already feeling some stress about what all I need to get done that day and how I am going to accomplish it. Today was different though. I still have a lot to do, but felt called to spend some time praying and checking out some blogs while eating breakfast. These reminded me anew how great our God really is. I am starting my day a little 'behind' according to my agenda, but I think I am right on track for God's agenda, and isn't that what really matters?
I'm glad He showed me what to with myself for a few minutes this morning. I want to live in Him all the time. I want to reside in His will. It is amazing how, when I do that, everything else just seems to fall into place, or doesn't seem to matter. I know that, yet still at times I let myself get caught up in the world. Not today!
Since I haven't been working (truly a blessing from Him) I have been struggling with my days. Contrary to what so many people think about being bored if they weren't at work, I can't seem to find enough hours in the day to keep up with the house, errands, special projects, things to help out Michael, working out, getting ready for Baby, and spending time with God. Many days I have been waking up already feeling some stress about what all I need to get done that day and how I am going to accomplish it. Today was different though. I still have a lot to do, but felt called to spend some time praying and checking out some blogs while eating breakfast. These reminded me anew how great our God really is. I am starting my day a little 'behind' according to my agenda, but I think I am right on track for God's agenda, and isn't that what really matters?
I'm glad He showed me what to with myself for a few minutes this morning. I want to live in Him all the time. I want to reside in His will. It is amazing how, when I do that, everything else just seems to fall into place, or doesn't seem to matter. I know that, yet still at times I let myself get caught up in the world. Not today!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I don't know why I am still amazed at how God provides for His children. I know that He loves me, and that I have put everything in my life in His hands. He always provides, yet I am still sometimes surprised by it. I guess it is good that I don't take it for granted and am still so thankful and amazed when He showers me with His love.
Here is an example that happened to me this week. On Monday I was thinking about our baby. I love this little guy so much already that it sometimes brings me to tears. I was thinking about all the wonderful things that I want to give this baby. I want him to have the world. But it hit me that, most of all, I want to give him God. I want to teach Him about Jesus, I want to model a good relationship with God. I want to take him to church, teach him to pray, raise him in a Christian community. I pray that he will know God and walk with Him all his life. Anything outside of that, all the material possessions, aren't as important. So, I spent some time in prayer and told God all of that. I asked Him to help me raise my chlid in Him, and told Him that I would trust Him for the rest, for all the material 'things' that I want him to have. With me not working these days the idea of all the 'things' we need and the cost of them has taken a bit more prominence in my mind.
On Tuesday, I was surprised to find a box on our porch. It was a very generous gift off of our registry. Most people don't even know we are registered yet, as I have just been trying to get that done. We couldn't find a card or anything, and spent several hours wondering where it came from before we finally found a packing slip. A friend had sent it out of the blue. A coincidence that just 24 hours earlier I had told God I would trust Him to provide for this baby? I don't think so. He is so good!!!! It was like He just wanted to show me that He heard me and He loves that I am trusting Him and He is confirming that He will provide. I love Him!
Here is an example that happened to me this week. On Monday I was thinking about our baby. I love this little guy so much already that it sometimes brings me to tears. I was thinking about all the wonderful things that I want to give this baby. I want him to have the world. But it hit me that, most of all, I want to give him God. I want to teach Him about Jesus, I want to model a good relationship with God. I want to take him to church, teach him to pray, raise him in a Christian community. I pray that he will know God and walk with Him all his life. Anything outside of that, all the material possessions, aren't as important. So, I spent some time in prayer and told God all of that. I asked Him to help me raise my chlid in Him, and told Him that I would trust Him for the rest, for all the material 'things' that I want him to have. With me not working these days the idea of all the 'things' we need and the cost of them has taken a bit more prominence in my mind.
On Tuesday, I was surprised to find a box on our porch. It was a very generous gift off of our registry. Most people don't even know we are registered yet, as I have just been trying to get that done. We couldn't find a card or anything, and spent several hours wondering where it came from before we finally found a packing slip. A friend had sent it out of the blue. A coincidence that just 24 hours earlier I had told God I would trust Him to provide for this baby? I don't think so. He is so good!!!! It was like He just wanted to show me that He heard me and He loves that I am trusting Him and He is confirming that He will provide. I love Him!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Freedom!
Tonight I was reading in Psalm 118, particularly verse 5: In my anguish I cried to the Lord and he answered by setting me free. Over the course of this last week God has truly set me free. Let me first say, I love the way he speaks in our life. I was reading a work of fiction last night that mentioned Psalm 118. So, today, I decided to read it, and it was like words right from my mouth to God. It was perfect to express my thanks to Him for the work He has done in this specific situation in my life. It was like the Holy Spirit interceding on my behalf to help me pray what I needed to without even knowing it. And it stemmed from a work of fiction. God is good!
Some of you may know that I recently resigned from my job. I am now a stay-at-home-mom! It is truly exciting, and God really has set me free. Needless to say, there was a lot of detail, thought, prayer, agonizing over, and discussing this decision. It was a long process and I won't bore you with the details, but the important thing is that I learned so much from God as I went through it.
I learned that God does speak to me. He gives me discernment, and I need to grow in my ability to accept that from Him without questioning it. I spent a lot of time in that questioning period, wondering if this was really what God wanted or if it was coming from me. A very wise friend pointed out James 1:1-8 that really helped with that. I realized that God was putting this on my heart because it was His desire. I went throught a very different situation, but with similar questioning about whether I was hearing from God or myself, over the past two years. I only just recently had it confirmed through multiple people in my community that what I was hearing in that situation was from God. And this time I came to that realization faster. So I am learning! He is working in me! That discernment and being able to hear from Him are things I have been praying for for quite awhile, and it is incredible to see those prayers answered!
I also learned that God wants me to be free. Free from evil situations, free from dealing with unethical people, free from concerns about money/finances/security. I'm not saying those things won't come up in various ways at different points in my life. but for them to be all-consuming, taking all of my energy, and robbing me of my joy isn't right. As another good friend put it, God is giving me the joy of this pregnancy and hearing my baby's heartbeat for the first time, and all sorts of other miraculous things. He gives me that joy, and Satan has no right to rob me of it. He can only steal it from me if I let him. So, I am not letting him.
Embarking on this new phase of my life is exciting and scary all at the same time. It is different than anything I have done before. It is out of the normal for me. I know I will be questioned by various people about this decision, and a lot of society will not understand it. But I do. And God does. And my family and community does. I am doing what God wants, and it is the most liberating thing there is. There is still a lot to figure out and work through, but the bottom line is that God is on my side. This is what He wanted, and He isn't going to abandon me now. He will keep showing me how to move forward, I just need to keep allowing Him to do that. This freedom is spilling over into other areas of my life - more to come on that later.
Some of you may know that I recently resigned from my job. I am now a stay-at-home-mom! It is truly exciting, and God really has set me free. Needless to say, there was a lot of detail, thought, prayer, agonizing over, and discussing this decision. It was a long process and I won't bore you with the details, but the important thing is that I learned so much from God as I went through it.
I learned that God does speak to me. He gives me discernment, and I need to grow in my ability to accept that from Him without questioning it. I spent a lot of time in that questioning period, wondering if this was really what God wanted or if it was coming from me. A very wise friend pointed out James 1:1-8 that really helped with that. I realized that God was putting this on my heart because it was His desire. I went throught a very different situation, but with similar questioning about whether I was hearing from God or myself, over the past two years. I only just recently had it confirmed through multiple people in my community that what I was hearing in that situation was from God. And this time I came to that realization faster. So I am learning! He is working in me! That discernment and being able to hear from Him are things I have been praying for for quite awhile, and it is incredible to see those prayers answered!
I also learned that God wants me to be free. Free from evil situations, free from dealing with unethical people, free from concerns about money/finances/security. I'm not saying those things won't come up in various ways at different points in my life. but for them to be all-consuming, taking all of my energy, and robbing me of my joy isn't right. As another good friend put it, God is giving me the joy of this pregnancy and hearing my baby's heartbeat for the first time, and all sorts of other miraculous things. He gives me that joy, and Satan has no right to rob me of it. He can only steal it from me if I let him. So, I am not letting him.
Embarking on this new phase of my life is exciting and scary all at the same time. It is different than anything I have done before. It is out of the normal for me. I know I will be questioned by various people about this decision, and a lot of society will not understand it. But I do. And God does. And my family and community does. I am doing what God wants, and it is the most liberating thing there is. There is still a lot to figure out and work through, but the bottom line is that God is on my side. This is what He wanted, and He isn't going to abandon me now. He will keep showing me how to move forward, I just need to keep allowing Him to do that. This freedom is spilling over into other areas of my life - more to come on that later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
