Ew. Just the sound of the word makes the skin crawl of one raised in a "I can do" society. But as I listened to her story, the wisdom from someone half my age astounded me.
She told the story of wanting to go to her best friend's wedding overseas but her husband thought it more wise to invest the money in the purchase of a home. She knew the more logical answer but she could not deny the desire of her heart and did not want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. Out of obedience to her husband, but mostly to God who created order, she and her husband bought their first home together.
Shortly afterward, God, knowing her heart, blessed her for her obedience and provided a way financially for her and her husband to attend the wedding anyway.
I thought of my own situation, in my 23 years of marriage how I often, with an "I can do" attitude have contradicted my husband's wishes and had done things the way I sought fit instead. I had a lot to learn.
I know God is a God of order. To take Him at His word correctly we have to know that when He ordained the husband as the head of the household He was establishing His order, not a dominion. Wives were to be a helpmate, helping their husbands to be all that God had designed him to be and husbands were to love their wives, enabling her to be all that God had designed her to be.
I certainly was not holding up my end of the design.
I was determined to make a change. It was going to be a tough exercise for me but my husband, by perfect design would be, as he should be, the head of our home with my support.
This came to my mind rather forcefully one cold winter day in December while I was going through our budget looking for ways to cut costs so there would be more paycheck left at the end of the month to pay off looming loans.
I found that by reducing our auto insurance coverage we could have a little less going out each month.
As I picked up the phone to call the insurance company I was reminded that I should first call my husband.
He disagreed. WHAT?! how in the WORLD God do you expect me to follow someone who just doesn't UNDERSTAND?! UGH!! I'm the one that pays the bills, I'm the one that knows what we need....I pleaded my case....to Someone who already knew what we needed, the plans for me, for my family. Things that I didn't, couldn't understand. Trust.
Trust. Listen. Obey.
He never asks us to understand, He never says, nor implies that it will be easy. But the blessings will always far outweigh the cost.
As always, that day came and went and I actually forgot how angry and disappointed I had been.
I answered my phone in the middle of Costco on the other side of town expecting to joke in typical fashion with my witty neighbor when I was informed by her panicky voice that our horses were out by the highway near our home.
I dropped everything and raced for the car knowing that it would be at least 20 minutes before I got there. I felt helpless.
Please my God. You are the ruler of all creation, your creatures obey your every command. Please turn them away from the highway. PLEASE ALMIGHTY GOD do not let anyone or anything die or become seriously injured because of my negligence.
Early that cold crisp morning, I had turned the horses out into the lower pasture knowing full well that it was not completely fenced. I reassured my concerned husband that they would be fine.
I picked up the phone to call home.
With a house full of young adults that were never home, especially on a Friday night, I prayed that someone would be. By God's mercy and grace there was...a houseful. My husband, my two daughters, my son, my son-in-love, and three horsey girl friends, all jumped into action grabbing halters and lead ropes to look for 7 horses running somewhere between our home and the highway in 80 acres of filberts in the dead of night.
The cliche describes it well. It felt like an eternity before I pulled onto our street and into the orchard, where the previous rainfall created a sucking mud that prohibited my van from moving any further. Again I felt helpless. My husband must have seen my headlights as he pulled up behind me as I was getting out of my car.
Upon seeing his car, I burst into tears. The windshield was shattered and the hood dented. I did not want to know how it happened. Please Lord, I need you!
Just then I got a call from my daughter saying they had five of the horses and were headed for home. I needed to find the other two.
My husband and I returned to the pasture where I had mistakenly turned them out that morning and anxiously called into the cold night air, and prayed, and listened. A soft nicker arose in the black of the night and my trusted 23 year old mare appeared out of the darkness. The relief of seeing her was overwhelming and following closely behind her was the youngest horse in the herd. Thank you Lord...thank you.
With everyone safely back in the barn we went over each horse to find a few superficial wounds but nothing serious, again, thank you Lord.
But the car...
As the story goes, one of the horses spooked in the darkness, jumped between the headlights, fell onto the windshield and slid to the ground. How in the world would I explain this to the insurance company?
I gasped. I couldn't remember if, in my anger, I didn't just go ahead and cancel our full coverage on our vehicles.
Later that month we received a check for the value of the car, and, by the grace of God, were able to pay off one of those looming loans that I had been so concerned about. And, with a new windshield, the car is pretty much back to the way it was, with the exception of a few reminder "tap dance" marks on the hood.
I still have so much to learn, I count myself privileged to be able to serve a God with unlimited resources, wisdom and knowledge. He helps me to change through His power and Who is gentle in His rebuke and patient with me through the mistakes. Praise to a Loving Father.
She told the story of wanting to go to her best friend's wedding overseas but her husband thought it more wise to invest the money in the purchase of a home. She knew the more logical answer but she could not deny the desire of her heart and did not want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. Out of obedience to her husband, but mostly to God who created order, she and her husband bought their first home together.
Shortly afterward, God, knowing her heart, blessed her for her obedience and provided a way financially for her and her husband to attend the wedding anyway.
I thought of my own situation, in my 23 years of marriage how I often, with an "I can do" attitude have contradicted my husband's wishes and had done things the way I sought fit instead. I had a lot to learn.
I know God is a God of order. To take Him at His word correctly we have to know that when He ordained the husband as the head of the household He was establishing His order, not a dominion. Wives were to be a helpmate, helping their husbands to be all that God had designed him to be and husbands were to love their wives, enabling her to be all that God had designed her to be.
I certainly was not holding up my end of the design.
I was determined to make a change. It was going to be a tough exercise for me but my husband, by perfect design would be, as he should be, the head of our home with my support.
This came to my mind rather forcefully one cold winter day in December while I was going through our budget looking for ways to cut costs so there would be more paycheck left at the end of the month to pay off looming loans.
I found that by reducing our auto insurance coverage we could have a little less going out each month.
As I picked up the phone to call the insurance company I was reminded that I should first call my husband.
He disagreed. WHAT?! how in the WORLD God do you expect me to follow someone who just doesn't UNDERSTAND?! UGH!! I'm the one that pays the bills, I'm the one that knows what we need....I pleaded my case....to Someone who already knew what we needed, the plans for me, for my family. Things that I didn't, couldn't understand. Trust.
Trust. Listen. Obey.
He never asks us to understand, He never says, nor implies that it will be easy. But the blessings will always far outweigh the cost.
As always, that day came and went and I actually forgot how angry and disappointed I had been.
I answered my phone in the middle of Costco on the other side of town expecting to joke in typical fashion with my witty neighbor when I was informed by her panicky voice that our horses were out by the highway near our home.
I dropped everything and raced for the car knowing that it would be at least 20 minutes before I got there. I felt helpless.
Please my God. You are the ruler of all creation, your creatures obey your every command. Please turn them away from the highway. PLEASE ALMIGHTY GOD do not let anyone or anything die or become seriously injured because of my negligence.
Early that cold crisp morning, I had turned the horses out into the lower pasture knowing full well that it was not completely fenced. I reassured my concerned husband that they would be fine.
I picked up the phone to call home.
With a house full of young adults that were never home, especially on a Friday night, I prayed that someone would be. By God's mercy and grace there was...a houseful. My husband, my two daughters, my son, my son-in-love, and three horsey girl friends, all jumped into action grabbing halters and lead ropes to look for 7 horses running somewhere between our home and the highway in 80 acres of filberts in the dead of night.
The cliche describes it well. It felt like an eternity before I pulled onto our street and into the orchard, where the previous rainfall created a sucking mud that prohibited my van from moving any further. Again I felt helpless. My husband must have seen my headlights as he pulled up behind me as I was getting out of my car.
Upon seeing his car, I burst into tears. The windshield was shattered and the hood dented. I did not want to know how it happened. Please Lord, I need you!
Just then I got a call from my daughter saying they had five of the horses and were headed for home. I needed to find the other two.
My husband and I returned to the pasture where I had mistakenly turned them out that morning and anxiously called into the cold night air, and prayed, and listened. A soft nicker arose in the black of the night and my trusted 23 year old mare appeared out of the darkness. The relief of seeing her was overwhelming and following closely behind her was the youngest horse in the herd. Thank you Lord...thank you.
With everyone safely back in the barn we went over each horse to find a few superficial wounds but nothing serious, again, thank you Lord.
But the car...
As the story goes, one of the horses spooked in the darkness, jumped between the headlights, fell onto the windshield and slid to the ground. How in the world would I explain this to the insurance company?
I gasped. I couldn't remember if, in my anger, I didn't just go ahead and cancel our full coverage on our vehicles.
Later that month we received a check for the value of the car, and, by the grace of God, were able to pay off one of those looming loans that I had been so concerned about. And, with a new windshield, the car is pretty much back to the way it was, with the exception of a few reminder "tap dance" marks on the hood.
I still have so much to learn, I count myself privileged to be able to serve a God with unlimited resources, wisdom and knowledge. He helps me to change through His power and Who is gentle in His rebuke and patient with me through the mistakes. Praise to a Loving Father.
