Wives, honor your husbands....

It's always the first thing to go whenever I start venturing into a "selfish" time. I'm smart, I have lots of experience, and I haven't ever lit myself on fire. So with those stats to my name, I figure that I am pretty trustworthy and sensible. I am always eager to share my point of view with others who want to hear it, and I love to help out in any situation, if I feel I have something to offer. So, the natural Heather usually wants to cruise along the road she sees as the most efficient and wise. As a daughter of God, being blessed with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, I should be more than qualified to be able to make my own decisions in life and pretty much do what I want, after all, like I described above, I have a pretty good resume.

BUT.....that's just not the case, because of one little detail....I'm not Miss anymore. I am a wife, and even though God blessed me with a mind of my own, I have pretty plain instructions in the Bible of how I am to train that mind and will, now that I am married to a dashing man. One simple word, but let me tell you, it involves a lot more of a woman's life than I'd thought at first.

HONOR....five letters, 2 syllables, nothing that seems very jam packed. But, as I've discovered in the last year, that little word must become my entire attitude if I'm going to do my duty as the wife of a happy man. Us frau's were clearly instructed in the Bible to "honor our husbands", and I've learned how that mind frame of honoring weaves it's way into literally EVERY situation I find myself in. Honoring your man means ALWAYS considering his wants and needs as top priority, even when I am quite sure that I know better. Taking his word for things, even if you "know" that you are more of an expert on that topic. We must make ourselves a new life plan: to live to serve our husbands. We are to put away our selfish desires and adopt his ideals and interests. I'll be the first to admit that that sounds like kind of a rip off. I mean, why would God bless me with these stellar ideas and killer I.Q. if He wanted me to put them on the back shelf and begin to rely on someone else's opinions and judgement to get me through life? It gets a little more disturbing than that yet; you must do all of that with a happy heart! Can you believe it??? Did we actually sign up for this? How can I be expected to be happy about giving up all of my authority and freedom to someone who thinks I'm losing my mind when I can go from crying like I lost my best friend to laughing like there is a gas leak in the basement within 5 minutes?

Because God made us to be the most fulfilled and at our fullest potential when we are doing just that! When you honor your husband, even if he doesn't seem to deserve it, you will be blessed more than you will ever imagine. God created us to be servants to our male counterparts, and to dedicate our lives to meeting all of his needs and desires, with a genuinely good attitude. We are to put ourselves under his authority and accept his decision making about our lives as the wisest.

So, there's got to be a bonus around here somewhere; surely we aren't supposed to loose our last name and our bossy ways all for nothing. Try this benefit's package on for size:
1. Physical protection
2. Companionship
3. Lover at our disposal
4. Father for our children
5. Provider
6. Spiritual guide and shield
7. Our mediator with the outside world
8. God-given, personal advisor with wisdom to spare

I'll be the first to step out and say that it actually seems like we're getting the better deal here. I can honor an honorable man for the return listed above. Now I know that not all women are blessed with the kind of man that I have, but the command is the same to all women. You'd be amazed what a little genuine respect and honor will do to even the most harsh, unloving man. Even if he doesn't respond the way he should, and love you the way God commanded him to, God will bless the honoring wife just the same, and you will reap rewards for your obedience.

So, this is a bit of the mass of information that I've been processing over the last while. I'm no expert on the matter, but I do know what I'm supposed to do, even though I don't always choose to do it. But I have realized that an honored husband is what every woman wants and deserves, and it's all up to us to bring it to pass. So, give it a shot today; show a little R E S P E C T and see what happens.