Days 6 & 7 (I am a little behind)

So, I am somewhat behind. The last 4 days have been hectic, emotional, and focused on other things rather than my blog. Now with my youngest napping and my husband and son outside spending some quality time, I figured this peacefulness was the perfect time to reconnect to my readers :).

 So the next challenge was on day 6 - To Honour You as the head of our home.

Pretty strong chapter title, don't you think? When I read this chapter I was a little confused at first as where she was going with it, but once I finished reading I went back and reflected and reread until I finally truly understood.

The specific challenge was this: While you honor your husband as the head of your home, seek ways to encourage him in his role as a leader. "Well how do I do that exactly?" I asked myself. Do I press on certain actions he needs to fix, do I talk to him about how some things he does is letting down our family and god without sounding cruel? What do I do?

Then as I kept reading and reading this chapter over and over again, it finally dawned on me. This is what she wrote:

"It may seem foolish to many when I submit to my husband, but the foolishness of God is wiser than ours. Are we second class? Absolutely not, and no, every argument isn't our fault. But there will be times when we communicate in every way possible, and our husbands still don't see things the way that we do. That's when we can honor God by stepping back in humility and letting our husbands take the lead."

You don't have to sit and ridicule him on how YOU think he could be doing a better job at leadership and the role of head of household. You don't have to ponder what move you should make next to show him that's what he SHOULD be doing instead of what he feels comfortable with. No. Not at all. You can be still as a mouse and as silent as a whisper and he will know.

Trust is such a huge thing in a marriage. We have been without trust for a long time. At least my trust for my husband. And being without trust can cause you to have no faith. No faith in your marriage and no faith in your husband. We are not perfect, and just because God designed the man and father to be the lead of the family and the home, does NOT mean in any way shape or form that he won't make mistakes.

And he WILL make mistakes, and only by the Grace of God and ourselves as wives and followers of our Lord Jesus Christ can we forgive those mistakes, and STILL trust, and still have faith in the man we married and love so much.

So the next time you may THINK he is wrong and you KNOW you would do it differently, please swallow your pride and allow your husband to make the choice, even when it is the wrong one without a doubt. In that moment, you can only pray. Pray for your husband to have the eyes and ears of the Lord and the Wisdom he needs to continue to be that Leader.

Then Day 7 - I will Love you with a Pure Heart

What is a pure heart? Is it someone who doesn't make mistakes in spite of your spouse? Is it when you are constantly protecting your spouse's every move from harm? It could be...but how often can we say anytime we have done those things it never resulted in a fight, or a competition? Not often, at least not for my marriage. Having a pure heart is loving someone with the best intentions.

Even though you may not speak the words, doesn't mean your heart is pure. If you are thinking it, you are still leaving possible cause of things to get out of control. Just like with stress. When stress is eating at you from the inside, and you keep it all in thinking as long as I don't say anything or talk about it, it will be ok. That isn't always true. Eventually your gonna break, and even though your stress was as simple as an exam you have in a week or a new job you started and now hate, it could translate into yelling at your husband about working late or screaming at your kids for making such a huge mess one afternoon. See...pretty detrimental stuff. Don't be afraid to talk about things on your mind, 9 times out of 10, it's better to talk to your spouse about the stresses than letting it buildup inside. But remember, the stress isn't always about your spouse, so don't let it turn into anger towards him or her either.

The challenge? Keep the lines of communication open so that you can talk with your husband about the things that are on your heart. Nip anger in the bud by letting go of it instead of allowing it room to grow.

Nip anger in the bud by letting go of it instead of allowing it room to grow.

Have you ever realized on occasion when your husband does something that makes you feel so DISAPPOINTED to the point where eventually you just end up so angry? You held it in for days hoping the disappointment would fade and you could just forget all about what happened. But instead of forgetting about it, it ends up coming up in a conversation totally off subject from what he did and you end up fighting. Now, if I would have sat down nicely with my husband in that very moment I felt disappointment hit me and actually talked to him about it rather than letting it boil up inside, that fight never would have happened.

So don't ever be afraid to talk to your husband about something. Be pure of heart and allow God to be your guide.

Proverbs 4:23 - "Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life."

Till next time bloggers, and god bless!