If you have stopped by because you read my devotion today
over at Encouragement Cafe,  WELCOME!  So glad you are here!

“For man was not made from woman,
but woman from man.
Neither was man created for woman,
but woman for man”  (1 Cor 11:8-9).

Wives submitting to their husbands‘¦this is a topic sure to make many of us cringe. It runs against the grain. I have been in more than one Bible study where this topic has created stress, anger and anxiety for most, if not all, of the women present. Sorry to say, my flesh rises up against it too. But maybe that is the first clue that I should take a closer look at my attitude and God’s plan for me? I surely can’t trust my flesh to be a good decision maker!

My husband is a military dentist. The military officer in him is used to giving orders. The dentist in him is used to having someone standing next to him, handing him the instruments he needs, preparing the materials he applies, and cleaning up the room, while he types up his notes. He didn’t grow up saying “please” or “thank you” either.  So when he comes home and takes a certain tone, or expects to be catered to, I often remind him that he is not my “superior officer” or that I am “not his assistant.” But, upon closer inspection, I am wrong on both points.  Oh dear.  Here is the Truth about the reason for the creation of Woman:

Then the Lord God said,
“It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him a helper fit for him” (Gen 2:18).

To make matters worse, the part that I neglected to mention is that lately he insists on going grocery shopping many weekends to allow me to prioritize my writing. He takes out the trash, helps with the dishes, and fills up the gas tank in my car. Yes, he leaves his clothes on the floor, throws his lunch dishes in the sink, and expects me to “stand at the ready” when he is doing a project, small or large.   But whether a husband is helpful at home or not, the Lord has determined that the wife is meant to be her husband’s helpmate.  So why does this feel so hard?

God’s Word says: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph 5:21, NIV).  And that is my problem.  Girlfriends, it is not my husband that I struggle to submit to; it is the Lord. This same Lord, showed us the way: “Jesus emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Phil 2:7). When I cannot empty myself to take the form of a servant to my husband (or anyone else)‘¦then I guess that makes me just‘¦full of myself!  I am certain that Lord chose for me the husband I need: one who will grow me in the area of service and will kindly care for me as well.

Anyone else out there stressed by the word “submit”?  Today, let’s determine to honor the Lord by doing what His word says. We honor the Lord when we humble ourselves and serve another person. When that other person is our husband, it is a double honor because we are doing what we, as women, were specifically created to do.

Dear Lord, I am often filled with pride. I struggle to bite my tongue and be the helpmate You created me to be. Spirit, move me, because I want to be more like Jesus, but I cannot do this unless You do the work. Thank you for showing me that all the lies I hear in the world just lead me astray. Help me to trust in Your word and bring glory to Your Name.

photo credit and Copyright: alanpoulson / 123RF Stock Photo