Women and the S Word

For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands.  1 Peter 3:5

 

It was interesting to observe the ladies’ reactions to submission in our women’s Bible study class last week.  Whether you just cracked your Bible open for the first time or whether you’ve been a student of  it for years, it seems the lesson of Abraham submitting to God always piques our interest.   What about Sarah?  What a micro manager she turned out to be.  What about submitting to her husband’s fear and pretending to be his sister?  Women get two messages these days.  The world tells us we’re just as capable as men but the Bible tells us our husband is the leader and in the end, he has the final say.  Submission is a great call to trust God and I enjoy listening to the opinionated.  I never met Sarah but I do know Tess.  Her story is heart wrenching, but she did, in the end, obey her husband and I saw God’s grace emerge.

The tragic death of Tess and William's little two-year old threw all of us into a tailspin.  One morning, Tess’s assistant walked over to my office and asked me to visit Tess.  “I can’t bear it anymore,” the assistant lamented.  “All she does is stare at the memorial photo on her computer screen. I’m left to make all the business decisions.”  I went.  I prayed every step of the way. I listened to Tess and held her in my arms.  We cried together, again.  I took her to lunch a few weeks later, choosing the café on the golf course with the delicious menu.  She never smiled and only ate one bite.  I listened while my beautiful, young girlfriend slowly formed her words that stemmed from a depressed heart.  Then something changed as I sipped my coffee.  She took me in her confidence.  I saw a half smile.  Leaning into me, Tess told me she just got pregnant.  Her husband had a dream and declared:  “Tonight’s the night.  Change is on its way to us.”  Tess refused his advances at first.  She lost interest in everything, but she did eventually trust her man.

When their little boy was born, everything did change.  And then another little girl arrived shortly thereafter.  Today, Tess is a busy wife, mother, and businesswoman. 

You would think after forty years of marriage, submitting to God’s biblical precepts would be an easy thing for me.  Women, you have to admit our husband’s can come up with some pretty outlandish ideas sometimes that are downright hard to swallow.  In these times, what helps me is to remember that after I’ve had my say, ultimately it is God to whom I am submitting.   And my husband….he will stand before God in all accountability.  (Oh, I had to throw that one in there!)

Today I’m linking to Tell Me A Story, a place where the writers share wonderful true stories!