Okay. It is 11:34am and I'm relegating the post to a 30 minute entry. I'm so sorry my posts are so stinking long, but I'm not really writing as a professional looking to make them a simple format that increases blog views. I'm writing to process what I'm reading. Boy sure is luck he is living in another state. My excitement could get a bit annoying if I had his ear within proximity. Hey, buddy, we will be living under one rough for the entire new testament. Get ready.
Numbers and Deuteronomy gave me a strong sense of legacy and family. Obviously, the law was given to the generation that would enjoy the promised land. However, I took away a very clear directive on how to run a household. I don't know about your household, but I don't think one of us has a husband who knows exactly what to do once he says I do. The poor guys. Can you imagine the pressure? Lead?! What the heck does that even mean? There is no John Macarthur footnote checklist for that? Add to that the fundamental difference between men and women's brains (spaghetti and waffles) and you have a working marriage. Yes Proverbs 31 freaks us out, but these poor guys. Seriously...
Setting Boundaries
I remember hearing a very wise woman speak of he difficulty balancing her roles in her home and her strong desire to dig in whole-heartedly in the world around her. That is wisdom not even on my radar. Number 30 really did bring some insight into a husbands specific role as protector. Back then it was a physical protection and decisions on what vows made by his family were kept. I think the modern translation to this is schedules and commitments. Maybe it is just me, but I go to my husband on big decisions but do I truly see him as a resource for what activities, commitments, extra-curriculars I participate in? I remember another wise woman speak of the decision in her family to relegate her kids to 2 extracurriculars. I'm not a mom, but I see the systems in place. They look exhausting to me. Do our men see themselves as protectors of our schedules and commitments? Have they even been put in the role as decision maker? I'm the keeper of the calendar in my household. I just wonder if they are seen in this light if they would feel confident in leading the cultivation of a home as a father as opposed to simply surprising the fam with pizza and a red box? We have one friend in particular that seems like he is always intentionally planning something engaging and family oriented to do on the weeks. I know he has an intense job and 60 hours per week, but I respect the random croquette match posted on facebook.
3 Easy steps to be a good Father
Yeah right. If only it were that easy...However, Deuteronomy 6 is pretty clear
6 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress
them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when
you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
10 When the Lord
your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you
did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.
20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”
Communicotting. (If you are a Brian Regan fan then you get my joke)
Aghh. Only 5 minutes left to finish! There are some clear directives in scripture in how men should lead their household. Communicating and talking constantly about the things of God is a huge part of creating a legacy of faith in Him. What are the ways that your men do this? I'm curious at how creative men can be in doing this. I HATED when my family pulled us into the dining room with an open Bible. They were trying, but it just felt cold and random. I grew up in a very spiritual, churched household where I hear lots of church language but rarely saw them practicing their time with the Lord. I heard a mom recently speak of how guilty she felt in asking her little one to go play while she read the Bible. Is that a bad thing? I didn't want to be the talker in the group, but I really want to shout out, "Yes! You are modeling who comes first!" For those of use with fur-babies and Grandp-a-w-s, I think this spiritual communication model of remembering and celebrating the power of God in my life is lacking. As submissive wives, I think it is less about, "We NEVER talk about the tings of God!" or "Let's read Deuteronomy 6 so you can see what you aren't doing." I think we can spur our men on to connecting their spiritual life outside the home to inside their marriages and families.
1 Minute to write a question... How do you cultivate spiritual intimacy in your marriage? Do you have routines? What is your man doing as a husband and father that is a Win?
Lacy B!
Monday, February 11, 2013