Submission

So, this entry is on submission to husbands.
And if you're single, you're probably thinking ok I'll stop reading then.
If you're married, you're probably thinking I have no idea what that means.

Please don't stop reading.
You're right, I don't. :)

But, if ya'll didn't know, I love reading other people's blogs. I have kinda gotten stuck in a mesh of blogs about kids with health problems, high risk pregnancies, etc. And I recently found one, by a Christian woman nicknamed MckMama (and she nicknamed her kids Big Mac, Small Fry, MckNugget and MckMuffin for anonymity's sake). Her last child had severe heart problems, even while in utero, which led to an enormous amount of stress on her marriage and marital problems. She wrote a post on submission, and I just wanted to highlight some of the things I found in there that I thought we all could benefit from:

1. "It isn't my grip on things that keeps our little life chugging along so nicely. In fact, it was at my own hands that the life was being drained from my own marriage. It is God's grip on us, whether we choose to believe in Him or not, that is the only true grip. My grip was just an illusion."
--we don't have control over our lives! God is ultimately in control, and we are to submit and surrender to Him

2. "Likewise, there was and is nothing I can do to guarantee a fulfilling marriage with my husband.Nothing, that is, apart from choosing to follow God's will for my marriage."
--In all areas of life, there is nothing we can do to ensure a perfect outcome. We can chase after all the worldly pleasures we think we will bring fulfillment, but ultimately we will only find fulfillment in doing God's will.

3. "I am beginning to strive to speak nicely to my husband even when he is not doing the same. I seek to respect him even if he is not acting respectable. After all, I enjoy being loved even when I am unlovable! And God always loves us even when we are unlovable."
--Wow, I certainly don't have that attitude, do you? Am I so thankful that God loves me in spite of me that that thankfulness outpours in love for others? When we are married, there will doubtless be times when our husbands are not respectable and unlovable (in our eyes) but we must go against our natural inclinations. It reminds me of Pastor's sermon on forgiveness this past Sunday; we are forgiven SO MUCH that we MUST forgive others.

4. "What if marriage were meant to make us holy and not (simply) happy?"
--Sharon talked last night at Beautiful Minds about how our culture trains us to think that marriage is simply a romantic love, but there is a whole other reality. In all situations God has for us, He has designed those situations for our benefit, and we have the opportunity to please Him by praying that He would make us more holy. Plus...

5. "[I felt like God was saying,] 'Quit seeking happiness in your marriage by trying to find meaning and emotion in every single cotton pickin' thing your husband does or doesn't do. Just relax. Just be. Just serve me with your marriage. Prince Charming can never make you ultimately happy, anyway.' In surrendering my need to be fulfilled by another human being, I thought I'd be left with a bit of a hollow feeling. But the opposite has been true! In fact, I was just telling Prince Charming yesterday that I feel a weightless freedom that I have never known before. To not require him to meet my happiness needs doesn't leave me feeling unhappy"
--A husband CANNOT make us ultimately happy, anyway. That is too much burden on him! Only in God can we find ultimate happiness and fulfillment.


And that's that :) I have so many other post thoughts stored in my head at the moment though...and 2 whole free days of work!! ;)