If this picture isn't the cutest save-the-date I've ever received, I don't know what is. Duck Dynasty fans eat your heart out! These are our young friends, Sidney and Chris! I loved this picture so much that I asked Sidney if I could post it on my next marriage blog—and this is it!
On to today's gift to you!
I want to give you this adaptation of Philippians Chapter Two by a woman named Judith Lakes. I have never been able to track Judith Lakes down, but I hand copied this down over ten years ago from Elisabeth Elliot. I wish I could locate her to thank her!
I love it, and keep it in my prayer folder with my Bible, so in the mornings I can make it a prayer. I don't pray it everyday, I rotate it with some other prayers that you can search for by entering "prayer" in the search field on the right side bar of my home page, or just keep following me because I love to give out what's been given to me. It's like giving away my gold nuggets! I tried to collect the best of the best I use and I included it all in my book that will be coming out in January 2015. You can read more about that here.
A Wife's Commitment
I, being made in the image of God a believer, a woman and a wife, having equal worth in God's sight and equal access to the Lord as my husband, I choose not to grasp after a position of equal leadership with my husband, which is not my God-given place, rather I choose by God's grace to make myself nothing —
taking on the very nature of a servant which was the attitude of Jesus.
Desiring with all my heart to be humble like Him, I choose to be obedient to God's command and submit to my husband and die to myself.
I understand that this decision will cause pain and suffering at times. But in those moments, may I all the more identify with my Lord.
When the cross is hard to bear, I pray for the will to give Him the burden of my heart and learn to rest in Him.
I trust God and His word and am confident that He will exalt me in hearing of one of His own who obeyed His will.
By His grace I will receive my reward worshiping Him in His presence forever—confessing Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of God the Father.
What an example of giving one’s life for someone else, as Christ did for us.
That describes a radical life that I knew nothing back when I got married, but then again, you'll have to read my book when it comes out!
The time to focus on the important is just when it is a good to do for your marriage, not when you have reached a crisis because of lack of attention! I know this firsthand!
Speaking of save the date, save a date night for your husband! It doesn't have to be expensive. I'd love to know your thoughts on the prayer above, or any ideas you have for simple date nights!
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I'd love to connect with you on your favorite spot:
Juana,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this post, beautiful picture :) I would say the most difficult thing about such a prayer commitment is making it real, living it out. I remember years ago, in my frustration, feeling the burden of caring for several children, wanting to escape, my dear husband would say, "Ann don't you understand you are in a privileged position where you can be the greatest because you have all kinds of opportunities to serve."
Of course I did not take what he was saying in a positive way. This prayer really makes me think about what he meant. What a great idea, Juana, to have a prayer book, never thought of that...This is worthy of much meditation and taking before the throne of grace because my selfish me cries, "No” but my love for my Saviour compels me go another mile with Him.
Ah, yes, Ann, living it out. The problem with us being living sacrifices is we keep crawling OFF the altar! Those years with young children are exhausting, and I think we feel the burden of the Fall most in that season of having young children, while at the same time, what a delightful season it is! On the prayer notebook, it makes it so much easier to pray to have real, concrete prayers in front of me so I don't just say, "Keep us safe prayers," although I do pray for that too! But we can pray so much more. I have earlier posts on praying for our husbands where we pray scripture back. All of those kinds of prayers are so much deeper than I could EVER come up with on my own! Love to you, Ann!
DeleteHi Juana, this is the cutest wedding photo I ever seen because I love hunting and I love to see sweet couples having the same interest. It perfectly reminds me of my late wife and our duck hunting trips at Nicaragua. *sob*
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