A Few Thoughts As Of Late...

"There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves." ~Thomas Wolfe

I know that I usually limit this blog to two topics - documenting our random adventures and providing frugal living advice. BUT sometimes I get called to share what has been on my heart recently, and this week has been one of those times.

Really, it's all been centered around two things - God's role for women, and the institution of marriage.

I have had Proverbs 31 heavily on my heart recently. More so even than usual. Many of you who know me know that I am, by nature, super "traditional." I love the idea of the 1950's life. I don't have a problem with gender roles (so long as not taken to a ridiculous) extreme and in fact celebrate the fact that God clearly made men and women very different physically and emotionally and called them to different roles for HIS glory. I know some feminist would rake me over the coals for this, but I don't want to be like men. I want to be a woman. (Proof positive - one of my favorite books is "Let Me Be a Woman" by Elisabeth Elliot). I went to one of the most liberal colleges in the country, where the feminist movement is absolutely celebrated, and it didn't change me. I want the softness, tenderness, and nurturing nature of a woman. Does this mean that I don't want to be successful at work? No. Want to let men run over me? No. Would never take a promotion at work? Not true. Never want an opinion of my own? DEFINITELY not (I am quite opinionated, thank you very much). Does it mean that I NEVER struggle with "living out" the Biblical concept of submitting to my husband in every day life (haha! I can almost can hear my husband laughing as I type this! I wish I never struggled with this. My heart knows the right way, but my stubborn brain doesn't always do the right thing. The whole, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" thing.) BUT, I don't want to be like a man. Not in the eyes of society, and most certainly not in the eyes of God. I want to let my husband be the leader of our household. I want to let men be the leaders of the Church.

I am constantly amazed by how offensive many women (and even men) seem to find this concept. God made me different. God made man first, then made a woman to help him. Some may look at this as women having a lesser or unimportant role. To me, this is the ULTIMATE role. God made us because man could NOT do it all by himself! We women, and the unique role we play, are so NEEDED!!! God made us to complete the plan. I consider being my husband's helper (and David is so easy to help, because he honors me and doesn't "expect" me to do anything in particular) a gift. There are nights that I get tired. I do a fair part of the housework at our house - laundry, ironing, cooking. I also manage our budget (David manages investments) and am constantly looking for ways to save and stretch our money further. David has never asked me to do these things, and always offers to help or even do it himself! And often times, he DOES do it himself - cleaning the bathroom or folding the clothes. But he is my provider (yes, I work a full time job as well, but David is our main breadwinner) and protector, and so I do what I do to help him be just that. Are there days that I get tired? Of course. But I do it not out of compulsion, not because David asks it of me, but because I WANT to honor God and David by fulfilling that role as much as possible, knowing David will always step in and help me when I need it. Praise the Lord for this awesome role I can play!

The other thing on my heart has been the marriage relationship. How could one not think about it, given the massive fanfare surrounding the Royal Wedding this week (the recording of which I plan to watch tonight). There have been a lot of facts coming out in the media about William not planning to wear a wedding band. I realize this may be part of the "royal culture" to some degree, but I think he should wear one. I know, it doesn't make one any more "married" if they wear one. Nor will Kate ever have to worry that people don't know who her husband is or that he is a married man. But, in my opinion, it is an important sign of the marriage covenant. David and I have never taken our wedding bands off our finger since we married on October 24th, 2009. I hope there is a never reason we have to (although I know that swollen hands from medical conditions can sometimes make it necessary). I KNOW we never will for any reason OTHER than a medical condition or the like. Once he put that ring on my finger, I wanted to keep it on, no matter what. And we have.

I also hope that people remember that, while the Royal Wedding is fun to watch (and believe me, I can't wait) that eventually William and Kate's marriage, like any other, will turn from fairytale and fantasy to real life. This is normal, but often unexpected in our society. When the super romance of dating fades, society says "Go to someone else, someone who makes you happy 24/7!" If they live as God intends, they will CHOOSE to love each other, even when that FEELING of love may waver. Life will not always be long princess dresses or cheering crowds. It will be ups and downs and hardships and triumphs. And in all of these, God's perfect plan is that a husband and wife will draw even CLOSER to each other. I hope that the rumors are not true about the Royal couple getting a prenup. No one is more anti-prenup than me. If you go into marriage God's way, with HIS glory in mind as well as that of the lifelong commitment of marriage, there would be no need for a prenup because divorce would be out of the question. That is one thing David and I discussed before we married - divorce would just not be an option, no matter what we went through or how tough life got. I am so glad we went into it that way. David and I have had our share of hard times, of life's ups and downs and tears and fears. But there is no one I'd rather be going through life with - both during good and bad.

I know this was a long post, but it's just what came our of my heart recently. Thank you for reading. I know many of you disagree with me on many of these things, and that is fine. I simply must speak what I feel like the Lord has laid upon me. May God bless you and your marriages this week!