Being a "Yes" Woman

I have written a couple of posts on submission in the past, and it is definitely something I still struggle with and strive for.

In her book "A Woman After God's Own Heart", Elizabeth George talks about several ways to make submission a constant and consistent theme in our marriage. One of these is to "respond with a single positive word". The word she chose is "Sure!" (the exclamation point is important as the idea is to have a positive attitude as well). My words have varied from "absolutely" to "yes, dear" and "of course". But the idea is to always have a positive response to what your husband asks of you.

WHAT?! Always say yes? Well-I might as well just give up all of my opinions and personality now, right? The image that I get when I think of always saying "yes" to my husband is a scene from the '80s movie "Coming to America" (yes I know, I am seriously dating myself) with Eddie Murphy. He plays an African prince who seeks a wife in America after the woman who was chosen for him does not meet with his approval. In the scene, he is asking her what her likes and dislikes are and her response to everything is "Whatever you like" or "Whatever you want me to like."

This is NOT the idea behind a positive response and submission to your husband!

How often do we tell our children "don't tell me 'no'!"? We expect them to respond positively to what we ask of them because they are to respect our authority. How is that different than a wife's relationship with her husband. Ephesians 5:33 says "Let the wife see that she respects her husband." How can we expect our children to respect us as parents if we are not modeling this basic biblical principle in our marriage?

At the heart of submission is trust. I have to trust that my husband is looking out for the best interest of me and our family. But I have to remember that he is human and makes mistakes, so I also have to trust God. He does not make mistakes and I trust that He will intervene in any poor decisions my husband may make or at least provide a solution to the consequences afterward. I can trust in these things because I am blessed to have a husband that seeks God. However, God does not only call women with godly husbands to submit, He calls ALL women to submit to their husbands. If your husband is not seeking His guidance, you can still trust in the fact that you are a child of the King and He will protect you while you serve Him.

Love & Prayers!