The title of this post is enough to scare you if you are a woman. For anyone who has read Proverbs 31, you know that it is a tall order of what is expected of us as wives. We are expected to rise early, make the meals, keep the house, work, work, work,..look attractive to our husbands, take care of the kids, learn to manage money, shop for the best deal...and all the while being joyful and content throughout all of this.
I'd be lying if I said that I was a Proverbs 31 wife. I struggle every day. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day to do all that is expected. And frankly, some days I just plain don't want to! Some days as a woman I feel under-appreciated, overworked, and overlooked.
I love my kids like crazy, but with a toddler and a colicky baby (although he is finally growing out of it, what a blessing!) I was feeling the pressure. So, after almost three months of feeling guilty for taking a ten minute shower I decided it was time to get back into the WORD. You see, along with my personal hygiene suffering (lol) so was my daily devotions. and it was affecting every part of me.
I decided that along with my devotions, I would start reading books that reminded me of the wife that God called me to be, and essentially, the wife I really want to be! Right now I am in the middle of reading "A Wife After God's Own Heart" and boy, does it have some life lessons for me.
The big eye opener for me was an area of my attitude. I had what the book calls the "when...then" syndrome. Which means, "WHEN my husband does this, THEN I'll do that." And no one wins in that situation.
Adam was created, and then Eve. Eve was created to be Adam's helper. Although I know a lot of women would disagree, we are to be our husband's helper. It's not always easy. I don't always want to do it. But to me, it comes down to this. Am I striving to be the woman and wife the world calls me to be, or am I striving to be the woman and wife that GOD calls me to be? If my purpose here on earth is to serve God, the "when....then" syndrome shouldn't apply, because although this earth will one day fade away, God is everlasting.
You may read this and think I'm off my rocker. But I encourage you to just try it out for a week. Use gentle words rather than a harsh tone. Bite your tongue when you want to react. Do little acts of kindness for your family. And if you are like me you will be amazed to see that the whole atmosphere in your home will go from stress, to peace. We all go through stressful seasons of life, but it's what we do with it and how we react that really matters. I'm working on changing how I have been reacting to the season of life I am in.
And boy, do I feel blessed.
I'd be lying if I said that I was a Proverbs 31 wife. I struggle every day. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day to do all that is expected. And frankly, some days I just plain don't want to! Some days as a woman I feel under-appreciated, overworked, and overlooked.
I love my kids like crazy, but with a toddler and a colicky baby (although he is finally growing out of it, what a blessing!) I was feeling the pressure. So, after almost three months of feeling guilty for taking a ten minute shower I decided it was time to get back into the WORD. You see, along with my personal hygiene suffering (lol) so was my daily devotions. and it was affecting every part of me.
I decided that along with my devotions, I would start reading books that reminded me of the wife that God called me to be, and essentially, the wife I really want to be! Right now I am in the middle of reading "A Wife After God's Own Heart" and boy, does it have some life lessons for me.
The big eye opener for me was an area of my attitude. I had what the book calls the "when...then" syndrome. Which means, "WHEN my husband does this, THEN I'll do that." And no one wins in that situation.
Adam was created, and then Eve. Eve was created to be Adam's helper. Although I know a lot of women would disagree, we are to be our husband's helper. It's not always easy. I don't always want to do it. But to me, it comes down to this. Am I striving to be the woman and wife the world calls me to be, or am I striving to be the woman and wife that GOD calls me to be? If my purpose here on earth is to serve God, the "when....then" syndrome shouldn't apply, because although this earth will one day fade away, God is everlasting.
You may read this and think I'm off my rocker. But I encourage you to just try it out for a week. Use gentle words rather than a harsh tone. Bite your tongue when you want to react. Do little acts of kindness for your family. And if you are like me you will be amazed to see that the whole atmosphere in your home will go from stress, to peace. We all go through stressful seasons of life, but it's what we do with it and how we react that really matters. I'm working on changing how I have been reacting to the season of life I am in.
And boy, do I feel blessed.
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