Friday, November 2, 2012

Make Your Hubby's Life as Pleasant & Easy as You Can

We have company coming tonight and I'd like to make my friend Liz's wonderful chocolate trifle cake. I've never made it. My husband's college friends and their wives are in town for a homecoming football game tomorrow (they're mine too, but my husband went to school with the guys!). He's already told me that if I run out of time just to serve ice cream—but I really want to make this. See how yummy it looks?
We've started a series on marriage and there is a LOT to it! Today I want to give you a prayer that I've given before, but we have so many wonderful new readers that I want everyone to have it (repetition is good for us all, too, right?)  I learned it from Elisabeth Elliot and I named it the "I'll Keep Him Prayer."

"Lord, he's your man. He's the one you've given to me—his peculiarities and his personality, you gave me. I'll take it. Help me Lord; show me ways, Lord, to make his life as pleasant and as easy as I can. Now Lord, you work in him the changes You think need to be done. Fulfill your purposes. Help me to remember 'in acceptance lieth peace. ' "(Amy Carmichael)


Start praying that prayer early or a time of day when you can be still and quiet before God. I really think when we pray for our husbands, God gives us the right perspective and our time when we see them will be better because of it. So, if they say or do something that cuts across our will, we can remember our prayer and say to the Lord, "Lord, he's the one you've given me, I'll take him."


Believe me, there's a whole lot of women out there that would love to have your husband, but he's the one the Lord has given you. Do you have a grateful heart? Yikes, I know I'm stepping on a lot of toes! 


Do we want to take on Grandmother Eve's attitude that said, "I know better than you, God. I'm going to believe the enemy's lies and not believe you and do things my way" ? Do we really think we can have a contest of wills with the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God of the universe? I don't think so.


May we seek to have the attitude of Christ that shouts, "My life for yours." He didn't think equality with God a thing to be grasped but made Himself nothing when He took on the very nature of a servant. He became obedient unto death!


If He is to be our supreme model, we too, have to die! We have to suffer little deaths all day long. Die to our own plans. Die to our own agenda. Die to our own way.


I'll give you a teeny weeny example of dying to self. 


Any writer will tell you not to do what I'm about to do, because it will fall into the category of "tooting my own horn" so-to-speak. I somehow think it may help someone, so at the risk of sounding like some kind of a know-it-all saint, I'm going to give this example. Just know that there are plenty of things that I totally miss and mess up on and if you run into Terry todayI'm sure he could provide you a few thousand examples of those. I just want to share a teeny weeny victory with you I had a couple days ago.  


I like soft tacos. My husband likes burritos. I don't like burritos because they always come with rice and I don't  want rice in my burrito. The other night my son and I were running out to pick up Mexican take-out, and my husband and I like to split one burrito because we each don't want a whole one. The last two times I just got it like I like them... pinto beans, no riceplus a lot of other stuff. 


This time my husband had the list the way he liked it all written down. Rice! Are you kidding me? Black beans? No way! They're not half as good as pintos! 


Long story short, I told him I would get the rice on the side and he could put it on. I didn't have a bean solution yet. When I opened my mouth to order the burrito the way I like them, in my mind I heard my prayer, "to make his life as pleasant and as easy as I can."


Asking my man to reopen his neatly tucked burrito when he's hungry and can't wait to eat and add in his ingredients separately that I had all packed individually didn't match my prayer. 


So when the clerk said, "What would you like on it?" In the flash of an instant, my hands opened my husband's list and my voice read it out. It was really simple!


I thought, "It won't kill me to eat rice! In fact, people in other countries would love to have a bowl of nothing but just rice!"


... as pleasant and as easy as I can ...


(I must admit, I thought of you all, too at some point! The Holy Spirit and your accountability help me to do better!!!)


Later on, I was dying to say, "Did you notice Hun, that I had your burrito made just like you like it?" In fact, I could hardly taste my food because I kept waiting for him to notice my huge sacrifice on his behalf. But the Holy Spirit put a bridle on my mouth as I heard the Lord whisper in my ear, "It is enough that I know. Don't say anything. Keep your mouth shut. This is our secret. Remember your life is hid in Christ."


Unless Terry reads this, he has no idea—and it's going to stay that way because while he buys my computer and software and supports me writing youhe doesn't read it! (that's probably for the best!)



 ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ 

When we offer to God all that we are, have, do and suffer to be his—WE CAN REST.


We can rest knowing that the God of the universe is pleased with us and He will never leave us or forsake usand He always has our best interest in mind. He will work out everything in our life for His good pleasure and His good pleasure is always to conform us to the image of His son.


So instead of copying Grandmother Eve, let's copy the Son. 


And let's copy the beautiful, humble attitude of Mary who said, "Be it unto me, Lord, according to your word." She was saying not my way God, but your way


Do you want to be that kind of a woman?


I'm not a different kind of a Christian because I am a woman and wife, I am a different kind of a woman and wife because I am a Christian!


Even though you are on the other side of this computer or phone, I'm so glad you've chosen to spend a few minutes here. I want us both to take seriously what kind of a practical difference Christ makes in our lives on Tuesday morning, on Friday afternoon, and on Monday night. 


He wants to make a tangible difference in our lives. Let's be iron sharpening iron with one another. 


I'll see you back here tomorrow morning bright and early to announce the winner of my 3 books to one winner giveaway. If you have not entered and would like to, go to this link on my site (click HERE), and in the comment section leave a note that says, "I want to win the free books!"  It closes at midnight tonight!

Walk by Faith,

7 comments:

  1. Update: Ran out of time, & didn't get that dessert made, so we had ice cream just like Terry suggested. Next time;-) His direction really helped me otherwise, I would have pushed to make the dessert, been rushing around, and stressed instead of enjoying my company! (I've done it both ways, & lowering my standards on dessert & listening to my hubby was definitely the way to go!) Ask your husband for advice and take it! It's taken me nearly 2 decades to learn this!

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  2. Just beautiful, really helped me put things into perspective. Thank you! God bless!

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    1. Hi Anonymous! I'm so glad it helped you:-) Love, Juana

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  3. Hello Juana, I'm Amber :)

    I am engaged to an incredibly wonderful man and I cannot wait to be his wife and helpmate. I have read so many of your blogs and they have been such a blessing, encouragment, and challenge to me. Thank you for your words and your willingness to be open and honest about how God has asked us to live for our husbands. Our wedding is next saturday, Jan. 12th. He is youth pastor and I cannot wait to dive into that ministry with him. I will be praying this prayer daily, asking God to give me grace like that He has given so many wives before me. Thank you dearly!

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    1. Oh, Amber, I'm so so so glad you wrote! Just 8 days until your wedding! I will be praying for you and your fiance, for a wonderful wedding day and a Christ-centered marriage!!! I hope we can write one another more on future blogs! Love, Juana

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  4. Oh, I have had those moments when I want someone to notice what I've done on their behalf and I hear that still small voice reminding me that them noticing wasn't the point. And thank goodness for that as I'm sure there have been just as many times when I was on the receiving end and didn't recognize something someone did for me.

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    1. How true Fawn! May we be quick to notice all that others do for us, and to express our thankfulness:-) All good gifts are from above! Keep shining for Jesus at the Happy Wives Club!

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