How are you intentionally rejecting the world?
Since I posed that question in the post Intentional Rejection, I have been thinking about my own response. Of course there are the obvious answers (most of which I have shared in other posts), but the most personal one is that of submitting to my husband. For so long I have bought into the feminist and world's view on women's roles, that it has caused some friction in my own marriage. You see, when Eve was tempted by the serpent, ate the forbidden fruit and offered it to her husband, something changed. At that very moment when Adam and Eve did not follow God's command, something changed. In Genesis 3:16-17, God is clear in His words:
To the woman he (God) said,
"I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
To Adam he said,
"Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat from it all the days of your life.
When we do not follow God's word, His commands, we suffer. When we take on the world's view of marriage and the roles of husband and wife, we reject God's design and perfect plan. God specifically says, "and he will rule over you." In a marriage, the husband is the head. In fact, we are to submit to our husband as Paul writes in Ephesians 5:22-24.
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 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. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Oh, how this world wants to make us think that submitting to our husband is a terrible thing. That by doing so would somehow put us on a level of slavery. We think that by willingly and obediently submitting to our husband means that we have less of a value. No, we are deceived by the world's values in thinking so. That is worldly thinking. Paul also goes on to say in verse 33:
However, each of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
How beautiful is that verse. Ultimately, it shows the love and respect between a husband and wife--it truly is a perfect design. God created marriage--the world didn't. And, in that creation, He put the husband as the head of the household, and we are to submit to his will in everything. Sometimes this takes great strength and courage for wives, but it is ultimately an act of faith.
When I felt lead to homeschool our children, I explained to my husband what God had put on my heart. I shared scripture, and we each prayed a lot about it. During this time, I became so convicted to homeschool our boys and become the keeper of our home, but I knew that my husband had the final say. Ultimately it was his decision whether it would happen or not. So often, as wives, we don't take the time to share our thoughts, feelings, and convictions with our husbands; we need to. But, once you have shared your feelings, you must simply submit and respect his decision. 1 Peter 3:1-2 illustrates this so well.
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
So, as we continue on this journey, I am intentionally submitting to my husband, in everything, as he is the head of our marriage. I know I am not perfect and will stumble at times, but when we set out to grow in Christ there will be temptation. The freedom and peace that has come from following God's command to submit to my husband has been beautiful. My submission shows my respect for him. He deserves that respect. He is an amazing man who continually pours out his unending love for me. God's design for marriage is so perfect!
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