11/4/08

What are we giving?

As a wife (and some of you as mothers), you are busy. You go to work, go to school, lead Bible studies, disciple young women, do laundry, wash dishes, prepare meals, tend to your body, change diapers, wipe noses, and do all the other beautiful, wonderful, tasks that come with the territory. You give so much of yourself away. Your husband is proud of all you do and supportive. He is ever-patient and doesn't mind sharing household responsibilities because he knows how much you have on your plate. But your Bible sits there unopened, the laundry piles up, the dishes sit for days in a dirty pile, the pizza place is on a first name basis with your household, the bills get stacked on the counter and shoved aside, the forgotten fish go a night without dinner.
One day something happens that causes you to crack. You finally crumble into a pile of tearful, mushy goo, and cry out to Jesus to change you, to use you. You know what He wants, but you're so unwilling. Through a cloud of tears, you look up at your husband. He stands over you in prayer, holds out his hand, and tells you that it's all going to be okay.
That's when it hits you. This man who loves you, who you love more than anything, is a rock. Wait, you knew that already. What you didn't know is that you've been neglecting him. You have been giving your best energy to everything else. All he's been getting is your stale, soggy leftovers when he's supposed to be getting your very best.
This breaks your heart. You are finally ready to make the hard decisions. You are finally ready to say "no" to all of those extra causes, no matter how worthy or high the calling. Your calling as a wife comes second only to your call as a child of God. You miraculously quit worrying about what others think. So what if you can't do it all? You don't want to be a Martha, you want to be a Mary. You want to love Jesus and love your man.
So are you giving your husband your best for the glory of God, or are you exploiting his patience and giving him your leftovers?

2 comments:

B. Kyle said...

I love you.

Shannon Leigh Anderson said...

Very nice.. thanks for the reminder/encouragement!