Saturday, March 8, 2008

Spiritual Leaders...

For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Ephesians 6:32 (NIV) Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:7 (NIV) My dear hubby is away this weekend on a much-needed "guy's get-a-way." Not to say it was much-needed on my part, but more so for him. He has been under so much stress lately due to his ever-changing work conditions and demands that he personally puts on himself. I am in awe of the person that I married. He is strong, Godly, caring yet stoic at times, loving and a big-kid at heart. I remember the first moment when we were dating that I realized I wanted to be with him forever. We were in church and I looked over at him. He was so engrossed in what the preacher was saying and all the while diligently taking notes. At that very moment, I knew the Lord had His hand on our relationship. The Lord gave men such a responsibility. It really is more responsibility than I would want, however hubby may disagree with that statement as I try to take charge from time to time in some areas that the Lord did not designate for me. Believe me, I am working on my control issues and if you could have seen me 10 years ago, you wouldn't recognize the woman before you. (that's a good thing, by the way). God gave men not only the role of husband, father, provider, protector, head of the household and decision-maker but the daunting role of "spiritual leader." Wow!! What a responsibility that must be. Fortunately, my dear hubby and I talk openly about these things but I can only imagine the stress of making decisions for our family based upon the direction he feels the Lord is giving him. That's kind of where he is now with his work situation. He and I are both being called to trust the Lord more intently than any time in our marriage. We know that God will bring about a resolution but it doesn't mean the waiting will be easy or without chaos. For instance, take the story of Paul in Acts 27-28. This is the story of when he is on a ship sailing to face Caesar for trial and the ship hits a tumultuous storm. The people on board begin to panic, jettison everything they can, and plan their escape. Paul receives a visit from an Angel of the Lord that tells him that all will be spared yet the ship will be destroyed and they WILL run aground. That is just like all aspects of our life. Sometimes there is a small rain storm that dampens the progress and other times hurricane force winds and rain destroy the path. Sometimes, we have to spend some time "shipwrecked" in order to fulfill a purpose and/or for the Lord to get His point across. All in all, the Lord WILL deliver us. It may not be how we planned, but ultimately and most importantly it is how HE planned it to be. Maybe, God gave the men the "spiritual leader" role so that they would walk so closely with Him that they would not fret when the storms, big or small come. The men know that no matter what happens, it is in God's hands and for His glory. All the other stuff the families throw at them is to keep them busy =-). I know my hubby has a pretty lengthy "honey-do list." How about yours??? Dear Lord - Thank you for my dear hubby. I pray that you give him guidance, direction and most of all peace in knowing that YOU are in control. Thank you for the family you have given us and the time we get to share on this Earth together serving you. AMEN Application:

  • Are you and your family going through a storm at this time?
  • Have you taken time to thank God for your spouse? If not, do that now.
  • Have you taken time to tell and show your spouse how thankful you are for them? If not, do it now.

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