FUNNY FRIDAYS
The funny thing is that some men probably act like the man in the image. Wil didn't take it quite this far (he would have gotten all too familiar with that bell if he had) but, at one point in our marriage, he was close! He never demanded that I submit in such a physical, service-oriented way but he did make extreme decisions and then expect me to automatically submit "as if to the lord."
True Story Stories:
Oh, there are so many stories running through my mind from the past when Wil tried to force his hand. I will tell you two situations.
We're Moving!
When Wil and I got married at the age of 21, I had never lived in an apartment. I was spoiled and moved directly from Mommy and Daddy's into our own cute, 1.5-story home with hard wood floors, an island in the kitchen, new cabinets, new appliances--wait, I degress but, goodness I loved that house! A few years after living in what I thought would be a home that we would live in forever honestly, Wil made the following announcement, "We're moving. Into an apartment."
I think I cried. I can't remember but, I'm pretty sure I did.
I went along with it, reluctantly agreeing to have common walls and share laundry machines with strangers (at least we didn't have a common bathroom), but I wasn't happy...until I actually started living in our new place. It turned out that I liked apartment living just fine. Wil had made a good decision but the way he went about coming to his conclusion and enforcing it was all wrong.
You Can't be Her Friend Anymore.
I had a childhood friend, "Judy," who was still my friend and still single after I became a married woman. Our friendship changed a bit after my wedding because she was frequenting places and doing things that I had no interest in doing. Most of the time, I felt that our relationship was very one-sided with me always being the giver. Wil shared my sentiments but instead of just listening to my complaints and trying to understand, he demanded that I stop being her friend.
Why do men always try to solve a problem; why can't they just listen?!
I eventually cut down on the amount of time I spent with her and the friendship ultimately dissolved. I am a much happier person now that "Judy" is no longer a fixture in my daily life but I resented Wil for a long time because he tried to force me in a direction that I wanted to navigate to on my own. Again, he had the right idea but his approach was all wrong!
So what have we learned, husbands? When you read your Bible don't take verses out of context, talk to your wife and get her feedback instead of trying to move her around like a piece on a game board, and don't ever try to use a bell to summon food (or anything else)!
How has the "wives submit" verse been used (or MISused) in your house?
