Loving our Husbands...

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers... Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

1 John 2:16:18

Yesterday, I took a little trip with the click of a few buttons over to Sue's at Praise and Coffee to be encouraged by her Two shall become One Tuesdays. I was indeed encouraged and inspired by her words and also those of her commentors. She posted an article, Little Women, that was so inspiring to me as a wife and a mother. Take a moment to read it, it is short and worth your time. It really made me think of how my children percieve me as they daily observe me not as their mother but as the wife of their father, their hero. What am I showing them on a day to day basis, is it the love spoken of in 1 John, a love that lays it's life down for the other. Do they see my dying love for their father? Is it a sacraficial, adoring, outdoing, spontaneous, joyful, contagious love that fills our home with a sweet aroma of what Christ did for all of us? Do they see me scurrying about before the arrival of their father after a hard day of studying to make things perfect for him when he walks in? Do they see me greet him with a outpouring love and affection and a big smile? Listen... I confess that none of the above is true, I am usually to consumed in myself to be worrying about all that. It is the truth, I have not hidden it, I am selfish, it is a constant daily struggle of mine, it comes all to naturally to me and I pray that over time God will sever it from my soul and give me a more perfect love like that of His son.

I think we as mothers and homekeepers can get our priority cards all scattered about, I fear we can and do often place some ahead of others that do not belong there as God has set them out for us and I don't think we do this deliberately. Take a look at yours? Where do the cards of your calling lay? God, Husband, Children, Home and Others. Are they laying in front of you in this order? If they are not then take a moment to rearrange them in His order...

Before:

Home... God... Children... Husband... Others...

After:

God... Husband... Children... Home... Others...

I think I had myself fooled for awhile with thinking I had God above everything but really I have put my Home above him here lately. When we put them in their rightful order then can God be truly and most glorified in our lives as Daughters of the King first, wives of His servant second, Mothers of His children third, keepers of His home fourth and sister to all of His people around us. It is a simple but amazing truth that has a profound effect on our life.

Something that I was encouraged by yesterday while visiting Sue was a comment by one of her readers. I find it hard sometimes to love my husband, for many reasons, he isn't worthy, I am to tired, I am to busy and the main reason... I am just to selfish. I know we all struggle with this at times so let me leave you with this thought I captured from Sheila:

"The thing is, often times the one I'm directing the bending over backwards out of giddy love is not my husband but my Lord and I say in my heart, "Lord Jesus YOU deserve me to love this fallen man with extravagant, gracious love. I'll bend over backwards loving this man because YOU DID THAT FOR ME AND FOR HIM!"I can't look at my husband and always get filled with a desire to treat him like a boyfriend, but can always look at Jesus and be filled with a desire to give my husband all kinds of unearned favor and kindness. It just takes remembering that that's what I've been given."