Serving with Gratitude

 "Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church... So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself." Ephesians 5:22-23, 25a, 28 NKJV

Full reading = Ephesians 5:22-33

God has given me a precious gift; He has given me a man that loves me, protects me, and cares for me in a way that I truly believe emulates what Paul is describing in Ephesians Chapter 5. My husband does this even though I do not always successfully emulate how Ephesians describes wives should submit to their husbands. I have an admittedly stubborn, independent streak that sometimes rears its ugly head. It is something I am working on, through prayer and Bible study.

I believe a strong, Christian household is firmly rooted in God, His Word, His love, and is an enormous blessing from God himself. I had an epiphany about this last weekend. My husband made me a delicious omelette for breakfast, and a side of bacon, and sausage. It's kind of our thing to have a big, tasty breakfast on Saturday morning. An indulgence in a hefty morning meal together; something we often do not have time for on weekday mornings. As I thanked him for the meal, I also stopped and thanked God for the meal. It hit me...every gift my husband bestows on me is God bestowing that gift on me through my husband. Likewise, every thing I give or do for my husband is not just an act of love from me but also an act of God's love, from Him, through me.  

As I thought about it, I realized that some might take offense that all their effort, all their hard work is not really their own. However, I choose to look at it as a great honor to be able to be God's vessel to my husband...and to the world. Our God is all powerful, He is Almighty, His capacity for blessing His children is not limited by anything seen or unseen. And yet, this omnipotent God we serve allows us to be a part of His plan, to be His hands and feet. So truly just as wives should submit to their husbands, thereby showing him the love and respect he deserves as the head, protector, and provider of the family, we as Christians should submit to God. We need to truly see every act of love as a blessing from God through us, and not only are we bestowing it on the person we love but in a way, God is blessing us through it. He is allowing little ol' us to be a part of His mighty works, in small and big ways.

So, next time you prepare a meal, clean a room, pull some weeds, etc for someone else (spouse, parent, child, friend, etc) be sure to thank God for the opportunity to be His vessel of love. Soak in the treasure of submitting in love to one another. Especially in marriage, but truly in all our relationships during our short stay on this planet. In such a broken world, where sin is glorified and celebrated all over the news, the internet, and the radio, let us set ourselves apart. Not by mistakenly believing we are better than anyone else, but by serving with a grateful heart. 

I pray we all find gratitude in helping others this week. Be blessed and be the blessing my dear friends. 

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