The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18

The controversy. I know. Women have equal rights. We are strong and fearless. We can conquer the world. Yes! This is all true, but how are we using the traits and characteristics that God gave us specifically as women to support our husbands? God has called us to be a helpmate, not a burden. Remember when you first started dating and you were so in love? You wanted to go out of your way to help your partner, you wanted to surprise him, and you wanted to show him in different ways that you were thinking about him. In modern day America this type of behavior is expected when you are dating, but when you get married all of a sudden the consensus on what is acceptable or not acceptable changes. If you do all of the laundry in your household then you are weak. Never mind your husband is doing all of the yard work. If you get up early to iron for your husband then you are being taken advantage of. Never mind that he runs the family budget and bank account. If you stay home instead of going out on the town every weekend then you are powerless. It’s really a bizarre mindset. It’s seriously time for us to change our thinking on this subject. Your husband has great qualities or you would not have fallen in love with him in the first place. Y’all chose each other. So why can’t we proudly serve our husband because we love him? Why does this whole submission thing have to have such a negative connotation affiliated with it? Where we get caught up, and I know because I’ve been there, is in our own selfish expectations and attitude of entitlement. 10 years ago, even five years ago, I had a much different mindset about marriage. Why should I do the laundry today? Why should I do the dishes? Why do I have to get the groceries this week? I could only see myself. Making a checklist in my mind of all the things I was doing was not Christlike, especially when I wasn’t mentally writing down all of the things that my husband did – which is a lot. Thank goodness that Jesus isn’t keeping a tally sheet of all that He did – and that we don’t do. I wouldn’t want to see that list. Serving and loving our spouse the way that Jesus does means putting our spouse first, and that is ok with me. Throw the attitude of entitlement and selfish expectations out the window and watch God move. Let’s serve our husbands in love. Let’s serve him because that’s what Christ did (does) for us.

Dear God, help me to cling to Titus 2:4-5 which states, “Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Help me to serve my husband in joy. I am thankful for him, his help, and his love. Let me be the helpmate that he needs. Amen.