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Trust in the LORD and do good;dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:3-4
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No, he ‘s not perfect. Neither am I. We are alike in imperfection yet opposite in many ways as individuals. We are united in marriage, in Christ, who has given us everything, despite our personal preferences and differences. Today I want to take a moment and tell you that your husband does not need to be perfect for you to learn from him. You see my hubby and I are as opposite in personality, background and make-up as you can get. But I want to tell you I still learn from him. God desires that I do. Even though sometimes I make it difficult for my sweet husband, God has blessed him with patience and humor which make the journey somewhat easier for him. Hopefully. Ahem.
Today, I will to share three ways we can follow our husbands regardless of their choices. I say this because we can tend to be distracted by the various splinters our husbands sport, while we stare through beam filled eyes the size of telephone poles. OK, maybe I am preaching to the choir, but at least now you see a clear image in your mind, yes?
God has a simple plan and when we follow it, even somewhat reluctantly, He blesses each step and encourages us in His ways. What I lack in domesticity, I make up for in my heart to please God and willingness to allow Him to conform me to His image. God is patient with me and He will be patient with you. We can do it, through Him who does indeed promise to PROVIDE when we DECIDE in our hearts to commit and follow Him.
1. Commit: When I used to train for competition, once I was committed to a certain date to compete, regardless of my feelings, it meant I was committed to my training plan. Some days I would not feel like going to the gym. I learned that if I wanted to remain competitive or potentially win, I needed to train consistently whether I had the warm fuzzies about my training on that particular day. Sometimes I had to push myself to get to the gym, or through the workout, BUT in the end the commitment carried me on to progress and victory. It’s the same with marriage (and most things in life). But Christ will empower us as we rely on Him. Don’t wait for the feelings, the feelings may or may not follow. But your continued trust and reliance on something- in this case some-ONE- outside of yourself will get you through and carry you to victory. One day at a time.
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:3
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37:5-6
2. Lay Down: So often that which seems good can undermine a marriage. I am talking about “rights”. I know this is not popular and I do not have it all down, but marriage is a continual laying down
of my rights to myself. Period. The minute we forget this, we are going down roads that lead us far from God and His plans for our lives as women and Believers. I know there is a balance and uniqueness in each circumstance. But this reality should be a reminder that we always can choose. We must weigh carefully in light of His words and our commitment to Him and others. Last night my hubby came home tired after a hard day at work. He sweetly brought home two boxes of dye and became my hairdresser, because I was whining about my grey hair and a presentation I needed to make. In this he modeled, once again his own laying down of his desires that my needs may be met. This is what we do. Now don’t get all upset because your hubby would never do this for you. Instead consider the way he uniquely serves you that you may not even be recognizing. Of course, most of all learn to lay down. I know I am learning. Slowly.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3
3. Decide and Delight: Decide to trust God and delight in Him. Decide to delight in your husband’s strengths, uniqueness and positive attributes as opposed to his perceived shortcomings. I know earlier, I said I was reluctant. God knows our true heart’s desire. Sometimes we think we know best. This must be balanced by the wisdom of His word. He knows my reluctant heart and is the process of transforming and conforming it to His own. He will make me into that cheerful giver, I long to be. He is doing the same for and in my husband. This does not always work out in the same manner and he uses our marriage as a grand arena for it all to be won or lost.
Decide, Delight and Fight for God’s plan of victory for your marriage!
The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
Psalm 37:23
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8
Remember this:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give,
not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Hope this makes sense!
There you have it, my simple plan for following your man!
By the way: My secret to getting my hubby to read my BLOG is by writing about HIM! Hi Honey! Love you!
Enthusiastically, Dawn 
6 responses to “A Simple Plan To Follow Your Man”
That “laying down” one is a hard one, isn't it, for those of us raised to be strong, independent women? I struggle with it. Submission is a word that used to cause my hackles to raise, but working through Elizabeth George's study of the Titus 2 Woman, “A Woman's High Calling” helped me see things differently and be much more receptive to the idea.
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Dawn: You make some good points here. Thank you for sharing them.
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amen! i couldn't agree more! sometimes it is scary for women to submit, but i am serious, there is such a freedom in it. and i love each of these tips. very TRUE!
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This made perfect sense, really well done my friend. I can tell that you speak from great experience and lessons learned. Probably both the hard way and the easy way huh? Great post…..and Hi Honey from me too! Ha!
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Beautiful words written Dawn; it is all about love and commitment and trusting that God put us together for a purpose; if we listen, He encourages us to share, love and willingly seek Him through any obstacles that block our path. :)Blessings and hugs!Denise
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Yeah I agree with Stacy, I had to grow up and be strong really fast and take care of myself, this laying down thing is a bit hard, but of course oh so necessary when you want a relationship blessed by God. I think it is great that you and your husband are so different. My husband and I tend to be alike emotionally which makes it hard for us to support one another sometimes because if something happens to both of us, we are both down in the dumps before one of us slaps the other one in the face and says “hello, look at all our blessings!” LOL. Great post! 🙂
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