Editor’s note: During 2022, we are focusing on the scriptures found in 2 Peter 1:3-11. These verses teach us about God’s divine nature. We pray that as we reflect on God’s nature, you will see all that He has created you to be! For the month of February, we are focusing on God’s characteristic of LOVE.
I’m a recovering “Girl Boss”. Present tense because I am still in recovery, so this post will be about my journey so far and not about the finished product. I fully support women owning businesses, working full time, and getting equal pay, but I bought into the lie that I could do everything on my own and didn’t need a man or God to help me achieve big goals. I read all the Rachel Hollis books and attended her movie theater event. I thought if I just applied a few efficiency practices I could be successful!
I remember reading a blog post about Rachel Hollis’ theories not being based in biblical truth and I just brushed it off. I can’t entirely blame Rachel Hollis for my “Girl Boss” mentality, but what I learned from her intensified this mentality.
I believe in productivity and achieving big goals, but the part I was missing was depending on God to achieve those goals through me and seeking His knowledge when setting those goals. It got to a point where I was prioritizing my needs and my job over my husband and the needs of my family.
I knew the life I was living needed to change. God changed my life drastically soon after. He slammed some doors I thought were wide open, I quit my full-time job, and I became a stay-at-home mom. What a transition that was! I never saw myself as a stay-at-home mom, but the Lord did, and He knew this was what I needed. This new role has forced me to completely rely on God’s plan for our family.
You might be wondering, “What does this have to do with our theme of love this month?” 2 Peter 1:3 “his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM WHO CALLED US by his own glory and goodness.” The only way I can love my husband and my family, is to first love God and get to know Him better. For the past year, I have devoted time each day to spend with God.
Salley Sweeney came to Harvest back in October, and then again in January, to speak about loving our husbands. Her message has really helped me to take the next steps to loving my husband even better. The first point she made was about submitting to our husbands. Ephesians 5: 22-30 used to make me roll my eyes and think, “Why should I submit to my husband? What if I’m right or my idea is better?”
Thankfully I married a man who can handle my sass and God gives me grace for it. Verse 28 says, “In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.” This is why wives should submit to our husbands, because he loves us as himself. She went on to talk about respecting, honoring, and prizing our husbands.
“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”- Matthew Henry
We love our husbands by being his helper and being by his side. We can love, respect, and honor him better when we put God first. It’s through “our knowledge of Him who called us,” that we can love big.
We would like to thank Chelsea Criswell for writing this blog post.
Women's Ministry 