Respect Him; Love Her

I get a lot of crap about my views on being a submissive wife. (Whoa, cannon ball right into today's post, why dontcha)    I really hesitated to write and publish this post because people I know who are the reason for this post may be reading. But hey, it's my corner of the internet.   Ephesians 5:22-23 says, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.    Boom. I have evidence, facts, and reason behind my actions.  Do I bow down at my husband's feet and let him walk all over me? no.  Do I understand that he is meant to be the leader of our family? yes.   What does this mean for my role as wife? It means that I get to uplift and encourage my husband daily. It means that I get to help him make decisions for our home and family.  It means that I know my family and home and future are secure.   What doesn't it mean for me as a wife (aka: what do most people think I'm talking about when I talk about being a submissive wife?)? It doesn't mean that I get no say in anything - I get a lot of say, actually.  It means I get to trust Jackson to make the final call, but if there's any dispute along the way, we get to talk it out.  It doesn't mean that all of my thoughts and wants are dismissed.  They are considered more because Jackson knows he is the one making decisions for our entire family.  It doesn't mean that I don't matter.   Ephesians 5:28-30says, "In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body just as Christ does the church - for we are members of His body."   Jackson is just as restricted as I am in the way a Christian household is to function.   For Jackson, this means that he is to love me as Christ loves the church - unconditionally and wholeheartedly; he is to feed my faith and respect my body.   I understand that not every wife observes and embraces the two verses that describe our role, and I understand that not every husband embraces the three verses that spell out love.  In our home, we do. I don't ask for everyone to believe like I do, but for respect.  Nothing more, nothing less.   #endrant