Intentional LIving -- Part 4: Living Love in 2009

The time has come to share with you the last "wave" of lessons the Lord is impressing on my heart this season. With February being the month of celebrating "love," it seems especially fitting. In my opinion, this is a pretty good story of God's transforming power -- power that is available to each one of us on a daily basis, should we choose to surrender to the Lord and allow Him full access to our hearts.

Whenever I've asked my husband what he would like for Christmas, he has always teased, "You, in a big red bow." Well, I tend to be pretty literal, and trying to figure out how to pull off this gift has alluded me for the past twelve years of our marriage. Between the family guests and children milling about on Christmas morning, the idea of me in a bow (and nothing else) seemed just impractical. God, with His divine sense of humor, completely opened my eyes to another possibility, as long as I was willing to humble myself for my husband. The Lord pressed me to get beyond the fear of what others (even my family and kids) would think about this unusual gift idea. He also brought me to a tender place of realizing that I was "enough of a gift" -- something I've always had a hard time believing.

In the few weeks leading up to Christmas, the Lord took Stephen's simple request and used it to open my eyes concerning my role as his wife. I found myself faced with many questions: "Am I willing to commit myself fully to Stephen? Am I willing to give myself -- all of me -- to my husband? Am I willing to give up my comfort, my needs to meet his needs, his desires? Am I willing to do this wholeheartedly, without turning back?"

Over the weeks, God changed my heart, and inspired the best gift I've ever given to Stephen. On Christmas morning, the last gift opened was me. We sent Stephen to the bedroom while the family swirled red ribbon around me. I held a big red bow, a letter, and a small gift -- Ephesians 5 encased in a small frame -- in my hands. The kids filled with laughter brought their daddy out to see me all wrapped up right in front of the tree. We both blushed, but I knew I made the right choice. As Stephen silently read the letter I wrote to him -- offering myself fully to him, thanking him for being my husband, apologizing for the ways I've hurt him, and reminding him of my full respect for the man he is -- I knew that I took the step of faith the Lord required of me.

On our bed lies the Big Red Bow as a constant reminder of the commitment I made before the Lord in giving myself to my husband this past Christmas. On the other side of the house is the picture frame with Ephesians 5, reminding me again that I have committed to love and respect my husband, submitting to him as unto the Lord.

It is truly daily surrender, even in our happy marriage. My natural tendencies aren't to serve, but to be served. I like things easy, and tend to be happy only when things go my way. Being in a committed relationship requires sacrifice and yielding of my way to his way, at times. It means stepping over the molehills, instead of landing on them. It means praying through the mountains, and not pushing him off the side of the cliff. It requires playing on the same team, even if I think he shot the goal in the wrong direction.

Doing marriage according to God's Word, and living out the applications found in Scripture, make for a relationship that is joy-filled and blessed. It brings peace to the home, and to each other. It starts with just one spouse saying, I yield. I'll change. I'll confess and repent. I'll work on this -- on me -- for the sake of you!

With God, all things are possible -- including becoming a wife that brings blessing on her husband, even if she feels completely clueless in the process. It is living out the call to submit as unto the Lord, and allowing His wisdom to teach our hearts how to love and respect our husbands.

I challenge you, no matter what state your marriage is in, to give yourself to your husband fully. Pray about it. Seek the Lord on it. Let Him show you what you need to do to humble yourself before the Lord and honor Him with your whole heart, body, and mind in your marriage. Your husband, no matter what He is like, is a gift to you and God will enable you to give yourself to him, His way -- pouring forth a blessing because of your obedience in a way you've never experienced before.

I'm including the Living Love in 2009 button on my side bar, because I need to be reminded daily of this commitment to the Lord to be a gift to my husband. Please feel free to copy the code below and use it for yourself, too. Leave a comment and let me know, so that I can pray for you throughout this year. Marriage can be hard at times, but it can also be one of the greatest gifts we ever give or receive.

Ephesians 5

21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing^[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."^[c] 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

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Come back the end of this week for a giveaway to inspire you to love!