Submission can be difficult. We have our own agendas, our wants/needs, our own ideas. So when someone, anyone, tries to impose their own views on us, we have a tendency to buck up against them. If we are speaking of our husbands, this should not be so, EVER. We should always willingly, joyfully, submit to our husbands. Eph 5:22 "Wives submit to your husbands, as unto the Lord". As I discussed here submit in the original language means to rank under, to actually fall under the command of someone else.
Following the Bible's commands are not always easy, and more so with submission, starting with the garden. Gen 3:16 "Your desire will be over your husband, and he will rule over you." But like all things, if we will seek God in this, it becomes easier.
I thought I was really getting good at submitting. I seldom complained about what Jeff asked me to do. I was cheerful when I disagreed. I didn't get upset when he put his foot down, which was almost never anyway. But I had one big area where I was not submitting; it was an area of omission rather than commission.
Jeff had mentioned many times how he would like to have breakfast with his family in the mornings before work. He always phrased it in such a way that I would have an escape. If it wasn't too much work, or if I wasn't too tired, or if the babies slept in. So I always took the escape. I never did it. I knew he wanted me to, but I didn't want to. I wanted to sleep that extra 30 minutes.
Then one morning we all got up early for Asa's birthday breakfast. We all had breakfast with Jeff. Everyone was so excited to see Dad in the morning. He went around the table and kissed everyone. They loved it, especially Jeff. He emailed me and thanked me for the morning. As I began thinking about how the day started and how the children were just a tiny bit different, I began to realize that Jeff really wanted this.
I prayed about how we could use this for God's glory. He began showing me that if I would just get up that 30 minutes earlier, He would take that time. Jeff would be honored and God would be glorified. As I prayed more about it and thanked Him for showing me this way to honor Jeff, he began showing me what we could do in the morning to make that time His.
So I now get up (most) mornings and make breakfast for my family, just like I always used to do before babies. We use that time to focus on what we can do for God and for each other.
Each morning we go around the table and we have a topic we each talk about. Our hearts are on each other and God. Even ASHLEA participates.
Some of our topics: what can I do today that will help me to serve my family better, name one thing you love about the person next to you, tell a funny story about the person to your right, how did you serve God yesterday.
I have to say I learned a real lesson through this. I could have been submitting to Jeff this whole time and my family would have been blessed for it. My husband is not the--DO IT NOW--type of man. He is the--Do it only if you want to--type of man. And for that I am grateful. I have to learn to listen better.
3 comments:
how nice Michelle. I wish we could have breakfast every day with my husband. But he leaves at 4 am. And even if I wanted to get up at this time, he would not want to eat so early.
So I try for the weekends, but well, they don't always come when I ask them to (as soon as the food is going to be ready) and I end up upset that I spent that time making a nice meal & they cant even sit down to eat it warm. And then I tend to skip doing it, because it feels like they don't even appreciate it or care that I did it for them : (
I'm sorry! No way I could bring myself to get up that early.
BUT you can still make your girls enjoy a nice breakfast with you, sans B. Or even on the weekends with him. I used to that on that weekends.
Came over from SITS. It is good to try and accomodate things your spouse thinks are inportant.
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