Part of knowing Christ is wanting to be more like Him. Being a
doer not just a hearer. Matthew 20: 28 says, “The Son of man did not come to be served but to serve.” If I want to imitate Jesus, I will serve; I see my family as being my greatest realm of service.
Two other verses in Timothy and Titus are directed specifically
to wives, they say for the wives “to manage their homes” and “to be busy at home.” Yes, my husband has roles too but I am only accountable for my obedience. So I pour my energies into making my home a haven and our children a blessing to others.
My husband has a lot of hobbies. These hobbies could take him away often but, I decided to join him instead. Hunting and fishing are fun to me now, but that wasn’t always the case. To me though the relationship was more important than the activity (sound like dating?) so I did what I could to join in. True he rarely goes shopping with me, but as Stormie O’Martian says, “It doesn’t matter who changes, it matters who’s willing.”
Another way of imitating Jesus is allowing my husband to make
mistakes. There are two options, try to control him to the point he never takes a risk or I can encourage him to step out. When he does something I didn’t support one hundred percent and fails, I can gloat in my superiority or I can tell him it is ok. Although the stereotype is that men don’t listen they only want to fix problems, I need to be careful not to fall into the pattern myself.
Although I have experienced contentment by imitating Jesus, at
times I have been known to chase contentment away and fight for my own rights. It usually ends with my tearing down the man God has called me to help. Todd has even told me at times that I am making it hard for him to lead and it makes him want to give up, not on our marriage but on leading. Nothing could make me
sadder. The last thing I want to be is a “constant dripping” to my husband, I’d much rather be “a wife of noble character” that “is her husband’s crown.”
I am not claiming mastery, but in general I am content because I
believe three things:
First, I believe that keeping my attitude geared toward gratitude and not demanding fairness fulfills the definition of being flexible and thankful for what I have.
Secondly, I know life will be hard, but being a wife and a mother are high callings worth sacrificing to do well.
Lastly, I am convinced that when I give my life away in service, I get back the warmest sense of contentment available!