A specific area which is near and dear to my heart is the Biblical role of a wife. Ryan and I co-lead a marriage ministry at our church, so I've felt extra-motivation to feed myself Biblical wisdom on being a godly wife. I finished reading The Excellent Wife, by Martha Peace, and, as I wrote in my second blog post, it was wonderful to find such a Biblically reliant book with unapologetic admonishment and encouragement. I am now reading Helper by Design, by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I am enjoying this book as well, though it has different strengths than The Excellent Wife. In Fitzpatrick's book, I appreciate the thoughtful application and summary questions at the end of each chapter. I am only into chapter 4, so I cannot speak to the whole book as of yet.
Fitzpatrick brought up a good point in chapter 3 of her book. She spoke of the amazing grace we have received from our Heavenly Father. We recognize our sinful states and the hopelessness we would face without the undeserved forgiveness and love from God. She went on to say that we recognize the grace we receive, yet we very often do not offer such forgiveness or grace to our husbands, our best friends and companions. She uses Matthew 18:32-33 to support the need for grace and mercy.
"You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded withShe asks if we have mercy on our husbands, and if we still act unbecomingly in expecting perfection from our husbands. How do you treat your husband when he forgets to do the chore you mentioned earlier, when he accidentally wakes up the baby, or when he is running late in getting home from work? Do you outwardly show agitation with sighs, confrontation or a grumpy face? Do you grit your teeth, smile, and still sin in your thoughts and heart? Do you get upset, immediately repent and ask for forgiveness? I know I have a lot of work in this area. I am constantly repenting of my lack of patience. Thank goodness that God treats me better than I treat Ryan! God's love gives me a perfect model to emulate. His grace is my goal. It is amazing!
me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same
way that I had mercy on you?"
2 comments:
Yes, I have read "Helper By Design"...though I can't recall if I finished it. I need to pick that back up again. Thanks for the reminder.
What you wrote about grace is so close to my heart. God always convicts me of that truth when I desire to elevate Matt's faults. I always try to remember "while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us". We have been forgiven SO MUCH, how dare we not do the same?? Who do we think we are? We need to be CHARACTERIZED by grace. oh, how I relate, but oh, how I am such a work in progress!!!
Chiara, my heart totally resonates with your concern for the Biblical role of wife. I was wondering if you have read Carolyn Mahaney's Feminine Appeal--? It's a phenomenal book I bet you would really enjoy if you like The Excellent Wife. Thanks for letting me know about your blog, you have some really good stuff on here!
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