Women’s Retreat Part 2
21 May 2012 1 Comment
in Faith, Submission
The retreat this year was amazing and exhausting…..
One of the best parts of the whole weekend was the obstacle course.
We did the obstacle course right after my lesson on submission. Now, most obstacle courses require some sort of physical prowess. Not our course. Ours required different skills. First, one partner was blindfolded. Then the other partner had to lead the blindfolded one through the obstacle course using only voice commands.
Then, at the end the partners would switch and go back through the obstacle course backwards. The object of the course was to show the ladies that neither leading nor following (submission) are easy. They both require a great deal of trust and patience to accomplish.
After a bit, our Drill Sargeant decided to throw a curve into the course and imitate Satan’s kill-steal-and destroy tactics. The rest of the ladies soon caught on and delivered “prayer covering” to take Satan out.
We had a blast.
We played several games over the course of the weekend. One of them was the Mummy Game. See if you can guess who won.
We did our traditional communion around the campfire and made s’mores and sang praise songs.
Can’t wait for next year.
I’m linking to Titus 2sdays
Making Husbands Happy…..By Spending Money
13 Mar 2012 2 Comments
in Family, General, Submission, Uncategorized
I know that seems like an oxymoron, but stick with me here.
I love lip gloss and lipstick
In spite of my thrifty ways and in spite of the ways I want to become even more thrifty, sometimes you just have to spend money. And not on necessities. Well, unless you consider nail polish a necessity. Which I do. And I’ve amassed quite the collection over the years.
My polish collection
See, years ago hubby made an off-the-cuff comment that stuck with me. He said that too many women didn’t take care of their nails. Huh. Point taken.
A little later on in our marriage, he made it clear he wanted me to wear makeup even on Saturday…..even if all I was going to do was housework and hang out. Again, point taken.
I used to sell Avon....can you tell?
Putting on makeup takes a mere 5 minutes for me. Fixing my hair….another 5 and that includes the gel or mousse application. Doing my nails can take upwards of two hours depending on what brand of polish I’m using, but what else can you do watching Chopped on Food Network? And the polish usually lasts all week so it’s not like it’s an everyday thing.
And guess what? It makes my husband happy. It’s an outward sign of my love, care and respect for his opinions. This is a very good thing.
I still try to be thrifty even in my makeup and nail polish buying, but I think it is money well-spent.
I realize not every husband has the same opinions as mine. In fact, some don’t really care, or even like, makeup or nail polish or the other girly things. However, in the daily grind of work, kids, (and for those of you blessed to have it) farm/homestead life we can get a little rusty in the appearance aspect of life. Our husbands are visual creatures. Are we showing him our very best?
I am linking to Titus 2sdays, Proverbs 31 Thursdays
The “S” Word
26 May 2009 1 Comment
in Faith, Submission
Yep, it’s time for more discussion on the dreaded “S” word. Submission.
I’ve been reading a few other blogs that have in some cases touched directly on the idea, and in others have merely flitted around it. But it’s all come down to some common denominators.
Leading is for men. Don’t shoot me yet! It’s what they were created to do. Some, obviously do it better than others. And yes, women are certainly capable of leading. I know all the arguments about “I’m a single mom so I have no choice but to lead my family”, “My husband couldn’t lead his way out of a paper bag, so I have no choice but to lead my family”, “If I let my husband lead we’d be bankrupt and on the street in a month”.
None of that takes away from the fact that men were created to lead. Those crazy brain patterns we women fuss about all the time are actually better setup to lead. That leaves submission, or following to us. And when we embrace that we do it beautifully.
I read a post comparing submission in a marriage to a couple dancing. When the man led and the woman relaxed and followed, the dance was beautiful and graceful. But, when the woman questioned the man’s moves or resisted his leading, the dance was choppy, ugly…and some one was bound to trip.
Another post talked about a young woman leaving her father’s house and moving to her new husband’s. The young woman had to figure out how to throw off the mantle of her father and take on her husbands dreams and visions for their life. She struggled with the question of “What about what I want?”. But, in the end gathered her husbands dream to herself and put herself in a position to help him achieve that dream by submitting herself to him.
Now, the first instance is easy. It makes submission seem not so bad somehow. But, the second one is harder. Many women struggle with the “What about what I want” questions. But, even the second woman chose the dance. She chose to trust her husband’s leading and follow. She chose to go his direction instead of her own, and so their dance is growing in gracefulness and beauty.
Sometimes, submission is a piece of cake. Sometimes submission is an hourly determination of our will. Usurping our husband’s authority and leadership will never work out well. It is his job and he will be held accountable for it. Flip side, we will be held accountable for our submission or lack thereof. I’m not talking about condemnation, I’m talking about answering for how we’ve lived out our salvation. That whole burning up the straw and hay thing.
Don’t worry, I’m still working this stuff out myself. But I’m seeing so many positive things happening when I consciously choose to submit in those areas where maybe I haven’t before or haven’t even realized I needed to submit. My husband is happier and that’s a cool thing all by itself.
So, in the words of a country singer “I hope you dance!”
About that submission thing…
20 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in Submission
I’m not sure why I’ve been convicted of this so much recently, but I really see the need to submit to my husband’s authority even in the small, silly stuff. It’s an act of respect. It’s a boost to his self-confidence and sense of himself as a man. It’s his due as my husband.
So, who cares if I use the lopsided lamp in my craft room instead of the expensive new one from Walmart? My husband told me to get rid of the lopsided one. It doesn’t matter that the tiny Scottish person inside me is screaming at the lack of frugality. My husband told me to get rid of it.
Before I get slammed, I know I’m blessed. It hasn’t always been this way. In the beginning of our marriage we had far more differing ideas of how things should be. We’ve thankfully adjusted and gotten closer in our ideas of things. I know not everyone can say that.
I know that for some women the very idea of submitting to her husband, even in a small thing, is simply out of the question. The thought can run something like this…”If I give in to him about THIS thing, he will demand that I also give into him on This, and This, and This.” May I suggest that if you”give in” to him on THIS, then This and This may not be so important to him anymore. And even if those other things Are still important to him…….so what?
No it’s not easy. It’s not easy for me. It never has been. Sometimes it can really feel unfair. Ummmm. Life isn’t fair. Christianity isn’t about being fair. Thank goodness.
It’s certainly not wrong for a Christian wife to have her own opinions and ideas of how things should be. For heaven’s sake if we didn’t we really would be those mindless automations we’re so afraid of becoming. It’s just not a great idea to have strife, anger, pride, and arguments in our marriages. That is certainly not God’s plan for marriage.
I’ll post more on this later. It’s really too heavy a subject for one post.
A new look for me too….
20 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in Submission
I’ve been toying for awhile now with the idea of cutting my hair. Right now, my hair is hip length. It’s fairly easy to take care of…just wash it every three or so days, oil the ends, brush it in the mornings and pull it up in barettes. Boring!!! But, oh so easy. However, my husband has never been crazy about it.
Now, understand my husband and I have never seen eye-to-eye about my hair. I want it long, straight, and easy-care. He wants it much shorter, layered, and curled (not permed). Blech!! Ok, the style may look nice on me, but I soooo do not have two hours to spend on my hair every morning.
However, I have also recently been convicted that I should be submissive to my husband’s wishes even in seeming insignificant things. Oh No!!! I said the “S” word!! Really, it’s not a nasty word like some would have you think. And, thankfully my husband and I do agree on most things. Now at least. One perk of being married for almost 27 years.
My husband has not said anything about my hair for a long time. But, I know it’s not his preference. So, tomorrow I am going to get it cut. I’m gonna get about eight inches hacked off. Then I’m gonna run over to Sally’s Beauty Supply and Ulta and pick up the hair styling products I have avoided like the plague – hairspray, root lifter, gel, mousse, heat balm. Ugh. But, if the ability to change my hairstyle at will, including curling it, is the end result I will be happy about it.
