"Passionate Housewives," pt 16

A Crown For Him

“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband…”  (Proverbs 12:4)

…my good friend Janet – mother of twelve and “granny” to another dozen – has sought over the years to act as her husband’s comely crown within their home rather than seek her own acclaim elsewhere:

I have been married to the same man for nearly 34 years.  I have kept his home and done his laundry (but not his socks; at least not always on time!)  I have prepared his meals, answered his phone, and run his errands.  I have carried, birthed, nursed and taught his children.  I have prayed for them and delighted in them – for they are mine too!

Contrary to the feminists’ promise, I haven’t woken up and found that all of those years and all of those tasks were wasted. In fact, I believe more than ever that God is pleased with my servant’s heart, and that He is glorified by my nose-wiping, my dish-doing, and my child-rearing.

When I examine my life in Christ, I realize that God has used my marriage and my children to refine my rough edges and make me more Christ-like.  How would I have learned patience and trust in a sovereign God, were it not for wayward children?  How would I have learned submission, were it not for a husband who did not always see things my way?

So working outside the home would have been more fulfilling?  How could having a boss (other than my husband who loves, appreciates, and respects me, who knows my strengths and encourages my talents) have been better? There is nothing more satisfying than working with my husband to raise our children to love and glorify God. I have seen the fruit of my labors in the homes of our married children – as they too invest their lives raising their children to love and glorify the Lord (3 John 4).

Jesus made Himself of no reputation.  He did not seek after degrees or recognition.  He was content to stay in a tiny area and minister to a miniscule group of people whom the world viewed as insignificant.  Kind of like a homemaker , under the authority of her loving husband, ministering to the children who need her.