“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
On our first Christmas I got the idea that I would make my own tree ornaments. I am not very good at this type of stuff, but through the years one ornament survived. It is the most unattractive of all ornaments, in fact my five-year-old grandson could have done a better job. This ornament symbolizes our marriage. Every year I carefully bubble wrap the ornament and every year I pull it out and hang it next to ornaments of more beauty. The simple handmade addition to the tree will always hold this special meaning. It is fragile and some of glitter always ends up on my hands, reminding me of how something so meaningless to others is so valued in my heart.
With 46 years of marriage under my belt, I can truly say that we are a testament of what a marriage is about. I could have never succeeded in anything in my life without God. We fight for what God has brought together. From my marital experience I have learned a lot. One lesson is that a woman must know her role in the family. If you treat your mate like a king you will in turn be treated like a queen. The man too must know his role as a provider or else the marriage is not on a solid foundation.
It was not always like this in our marriage, because I was hellbent on being a feminist. I wanted my equal rights, and believed that if I did not stand up for my convictions I would fall into the cracks of a man’s world. This caused an unnatural imbalance in our marriage. I attended a class of hard knocks, sat in the front row and learned my proper role as a wife. I became submissive, not in a weak sense but in a loving manner. My marriage grew stronger and stronger because of the rules that God had laid down in the Bible thousands of years ago. By no means is my marriage perfect, but we fix things that are broken.
In my late thirties I did attend a class at a local church on how to become a “fascinating woman.” This was a mini seminar that at first I struggled with because I thought I knew everything about life. These classes helped me to become more intuitive in my mannerism as a woman. The redirection from the classes facilitated my life with Godly order.
I was gradually changing, I started to thank Mike for the things that he naturally did for me. Mike washes my car every other week and gasses it up. I always took this for granted, but I started calling Mike and thanking him for doing this, and I really meant it. I was changing and becoming more appreciative of all that he did for me. He, in return, would speak to me in a more loving and kind way. We have always loved each other, but not always appreciated what we did for each another. Mike is that guy that wants to take care of his family and I like being cared for, as it feels safe.
Even in this stage in our marriage we experience trials, but none that God can’t repair. Just like I protect that special ornament by keeping it safe, so our marriage need that same gentle touch; that’s how our family deals with marriage.
My organizational chart reads: God first, followed by husband, and then children, I am not listed on this corporate graph because I am a intricate part of everyone I love.
We all have a free will, so choose God and your path will be straight.
