Marriage Tip Tuesday

     My greatest desire in my marriage is to show Jeff the same kind of unconditional love that Christ shows us. One way I do this is by respecting and submitting to Jeff. I know that the word "submit" scares, or upsets a lot of women, but I take great delight in showing my husband respect and allowing him to lead our home. It does not mean that you lie down and allow your husband to walk on you like a doormat, but it does mean that you are to show appreciation for what he does and allow him to lead without criticism. I am currently doing a study on the Proverbs 31 woman, and am learning so much. I desire more than anything to be a wife of noble character and one that my husband has full confidence in. Besides my Bible, the main tool I have been using is the Proverbs 31 e-book by Crystal at Women Living Well, and it has been such a blessing to me. When Jeff and I first started dating, I can remember being on the phone with him one night and asking him what he had been doing. He told me he had been reading in his Bible about wives. I asked him where he was reading about that and he told me Proverbs 31. At the time, I was a very new Christian and didn't even know that this passage was in the Bible. After getting off the phone with him, I quickly got my Bible and began to read Proverbs 31. At the time, I thought, "If Jeff and I marry, this is the kind of wife I will be." Well, little did I know, becoming the Proverbs 31 woman does not just magically happen... it takes love, time, and dedication. I'll admit when you read through the list it does seem a little overwhelming, and you may think to yourself, "There is no way I can do this. This woman cannot possibly exist." Well, let me assure you she does, and we can all strive and accomplish to be like her. I realize that I am nowhere close to being the Proverbs 31 woman, but as I keep my focus on Jesus and my marriage, I am encouraged and strengthened daily to keep running the race. As Crystal puts it, this is a labor of love. So, I wanted to give you all the link for the book. It's free and only about 43 pages long, so you don't have anything to lose. I hope you all enjoy the book and are as encouraged by it as I have been. Instead of conforming to the patterns of this world, and being influenced by the women that we see in the media, let's look to this virtuous woman who fears the Lord and who is worthy of praise.

Here's the Link:
http://womenlivingwell.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Proverbs-31-Ebook1.pdf