Jaylan, my eight year old, complained about not feeling well on a night he had baseball practice. My husband insisted Jaylan attend practice anyway and sit in the dugout. Jaylan asked me why he had to attend practice and I told him because his father said so. His reply to me was, "Mama, if you’re a grown-up and Papa is a grown-up, why do you have to listen to him? He’s not your granddaddy!" Hmmm…I am a grownup huh? I compared my initial thoughts to Eve as the serpent convinced her not to listen to God regarding eating the fruit - could I be so easily deceived? The Holy Spirit refused my carnal thoughts and offered an awesome teaching opportunity; Jaylan wasn’t the only student (smile). I began to share God’s order for the home with my probing son - God first, husband second, and wife third. I explained how two people could not be in charge and even tried to get him to visit his future with desires for his wife to support his decisions. Jaylan said he would listen to his wife. Smart man, yet his focus at that moment was to get out of baseball practice. As it turned out, Jaylan had a slight fever and was allowed to stay home after his father and I discussed the change of plans. Jaylan was satisfied and so was I, given I didn’t agree with my husband from the beginning. Being obedient to God and submitting to my husband was more important than proving my case. Obedience has so many benefits! Being a strong- willed, independent woman can be a nightmare in a marriage, yet God’s way is always better and He will always win. I have to check myself often (in the area of submission) because my actions affect my husband, my marriage, my walk, my home environment, my children, and my children’s children - children live what they learn.
1 Peter 3:5 (NIV)
For this is the way the holy women of the past, who put their hope in God, used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands.
