Iv'e been reading Job and Psalms again lately, slowly and with much prayer for understanding, and it has been great for me. I have also been reading through Humility: True Greatness and The Excellent Wife, a few paragraphs at a time here and there when I can find a few minutes, and it has been good for me to only be able to read a little at a time- this way, each little section gets time to really soak in- and feelings and questions about it brought before the Lord- before I move on to the next thing. I can honestly say that my humility is being forced to grow, and I am that bit closer to being an more excellent wife. I know this because I am submitting more and more of my life to God, and that is true humility. We had already talked about seeking Him first--in All things. Now submission has come up again. No I'm not talking about to Al-specifically-but to God and part of that is of course to Al. So yes I am talking about that here, but about so much more than just that. If that makes sense. Total submission means handing over the reigns, Iv'e found, and 'God is my co-pilot' just doesn't cute it! God is my pilot, and I am along for the ride, that is the only way it can be. His ideas are always so much better than mine, why do I think that I need to 'think about things'? I don't need to think about anything; I just need to ask God what he wants me to do. Praying continually. God has been showing me lately that sometimes, dreams must die. My dreams are not always what God has in mind for me to do. Handing them over, and saying not my will but your's be done-- hard. But there is nothing better. I know these times recently of submitting to His will for all situations in my life and obeying Him, when I didn't feel like doing that at all, or couldn't see the good that would come out of it ( I am so feeble minded when He is so -- so-- well, he's GOD! There's not better way to describe Him than what he is. He is my God and he is sovereign and all-knowing, and completely good and always just- and I am not,)well these times have forced me to taste and see that God is good! This is what I have learned~ God knows more than I do ( really? lol), He is more good than I am (!... Lol!), and am not in control but better than that, that I don't want to be in control of my life- I don't have His characteristics, I have a God, why not lean on Him? I mean for Everything.These times have taught me that I can do this, even when my mind or my heart or my flesh is screaming while it's being held down 'No you can't' or 'God will forget about you', NO, He never does! and if He is going to be so faithful to me, why would He be unfaithful to you or your loved one? Take heart friends, and know that I have tasted and found that He is good and you will, too. Do you know where submission is the hardest for me? with my children and my marriage. And I am willing to bet that most women feel this way. Hand it over, I beseech you- All of it. God can and is willing; he does things that we could never, ever do in our own strength. Taste and see that He is good. God showed me that my dreams are not always my husbands dreams, also. Now I already knew this, but He showed mein light of my responsibility and promise to Him- on my wedding day- to be Al's help-meet. And since I am to submit to him, and to serve him above even my children, then I have to make what is not good to me to be good- to make the best of things, and to honor my husband with my submission to him. In all of this to also put on a joyful servants heart, because I am submitting to the Lord by submitting to him. This means, and I know you have heard this before, that when I work in the home or work with him I am doing that as onto the Lord and He is the one I am serving first, and submitting to first, my husabnd second. But think about what that means for your husband or wife if he/she is sinning no they are not just being annoying to us they are in need before God and whether we are husband or wife we are to help restore them gently to God ( we all know that I am the biggest sinner in my family, hands down!Lol.)I have to make his preferences mine. If he doesn't want Saturday to be family day and I do, I am submitting to God when I submit to Saturday being a work-day / hobby day and do that with him, or help him do to that- just an example I thought up. (Not if he is asking me to sin, that is time to bring out the word for prayer and time for me to say No, I can't.) There are so many more examples from my life or from women's lives that I can think of to insert in here. We all have them. It is sad when our dreams have to die. This is what God has shown me: God alone can change a man's
(woman's)heart and so it only behooves me, and my entire family, to serve God by obeying His commandments to me and to us, regardless of my feelings and trust God instead to show His promises true in our lives. He blesses obedience to His will. Our prayers are not hindered, He can work in our lives- and in our spouse's life- when we do this because it free's them up to hear from God when the preassure is off from us. I'm not talking about praying and letting our desires be known, I'm talking about any other reaction than total submission to & trust in God when the answer from our spouse is No, or is nothing: indifference. We can leap for joy and rejoice when we see answers to prayers and we see our spouses begin to change, to serve God more. Lord give us all strength to do this, to say to our stubborn wills ' not my will Lord but yours be done', to trust in your word and your promises more than any feeble idea or notion we may have about how we would like things to happen,show us your love Oh Lord -even when it is dark and we are mourning that we may still know joy- in submission to your will. At the end of the day Oh God, fill us with meekness towards your word and reverence for your name. Give us strength to live out these commandments, root out the tiny foxes that are not tiny foxes at all in the destruction that they accomplish and rid our hearts of any bitterness or envy. Bring forth in us a fragrance pleasing to your tastes, a spirit tender to your commands. In Jesus' name I pray this to be so, for I know it greatly pleases you father, for me and for all of us obey you in this way. Let it be so, Lord. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Amen!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~