"To honor and obey"

This has nothing to do with the main topic of this post BUT I feel the need to share it anyway before i get into other things. I'm overwhelmed with the sweetness of my salvation and greatness of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:12-13 --> we had "no hope and without God in this world" but Jesus has "brought us near by the blood of Christ!" I just can't go without thanking God for taking me out of the muck of sin in which I was chained to do the works of the enemy and considered a "child of disobedience" (eph. 2:2) He washed me clean of EVERY wrong doing and gave me a grace to stay that way!!!!! THANK YOU GOD!! lol I can't help it, I gotta praise Him!

ON TO THE MAIN TOPIC OF THE DAY =)

Bridesmaid: You aren't going to put anything about honoring and obeying in your vows are you?
Bride: Oh no, nothing like that. I wouldn't do that.
Metheotherbridesmaid: WHAT?

People have no understanding of what the bible means when it says "Wives obey your husbands" AND they completely miss the part that says "and husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church." People get this view of the wife being the frail and helpless woman who gives up who she is to be who her husband wants her to be and as her husband barks off orders while sitting in front of the tv the wife does a little curtsey and says "yes your majesty" and works into the wee hours of the night while waiting hand and foot on her husband. YES being a wife is a lot of work (or so I've heard lol) and as my Mom just said you are to be the helper of your husaband, and YES the bible says to obey your husband but that isn't a bad thing. Every structure needs a leader or it won't get anywhere, that includes the family structure. AND the husband isn't going to make decisions without first going to wife and discussing it with her (every house divided will fall). The wife doesn't lose who she is when she gets married either, she shouldn't anyway. The husband is marrying her because he loves who she is in Christ and loves her personality and is being pulled in the same direction as her (by God) so wouldn't you think he would be very disappointed if he lost the person he fell in love with? You can be a WIFE and a MOTHER and a ARTIST and a MUSICIAN and a FOLLOWER OF POLITICS and a BASKETBALL PLAYER, and whatever other things that you are all at the same time. There are sacrafices you have to make to be a wife but losing who God made you and called you to be is not one of them.

One thing that really bothers me is that no one recognizes the sacrafices the husband makes as well. He works hard every day to provide for his family and pay all the bills and gives up his free time to take out the trash and mow the lawn and maybe even do the laundry or dishes if you're lucky ;) Even though the bible says that he has the final word on things and wives are to obey him, this final word isn't just something he pulls out of the air. If he is a man of God he will seek what the bible says, seek godly counsel, and thoroughly discuss it with his wife. REMEMBER the bible says that the husbad has to love his wife as Christ loved the church???? HELLO THATS A LOT OF LOVE!!!!! Christ is God and sits on the throne by his father yet he decided to become one of us, thats like us deciding to become a little ant to go save the little ant colony. AND he dedicated his whole life on our ant colony to try to save us and not just try to but actually did it thank God! He didn't indulge in the pleasures of life or seek out the most satisfying things that this world has to offer but he was persecuted, imprisioned, beaten beyond recognition with his flesh being ripped out and his bones being broken, he was mocked and humiliated and hung on a cross as a criminal even though he was sinless and guiltless. There he DIED because he loved us so very much. Thats how the husband is supposed to love the wife. And we have the nerve to complain about this scripture?

The marriage relationship is a symbol of our relationship with Christ. I don't obey Christ because he imprisoned me and I know that I should and everybody else is doing it (which is FAR from the truth) but because I want to! I want to forsake sin! I don't want to drink or swear or party or watch dirty movies or date ten million people or become sexually impure! I DON'T WANT TO! I WANT TO OBEY CHRIST! And this is how it is when you're married. You love your husband and you trust him so its not hard to say "okay, you have the final say in this." And more importantly you trust God to help him make the right decision.

Ok, this is the end of my ranting for the day and it felt so good to get that out. Oh how i've missed writing =)