This was another difficult chapter for me this week and I kept struggling with what God would have me to share with all of you. God is beginning to open buried places inside me that I have buried for years and I know that I have tried to be the “perfect” wife over all these years instead of what God showed me thru this lesson which is “Beverly I want you to be the authentic wife”, the woman who shows her true self that you were the day you said “I do”. The one I want your husband to “see” because when he “sees” that, he will then see “me”. Oh what an epiphany He showed me tonite about how sometimes I do just “show” God instead of “live” God in front of my husband.
In today’s lesson, we find a very interesting illustration. God tells Jeremiah to buy a new linen belt and wear it around his waist. At that time, a linen belt was an intimate piece of clothing, comparable to the underwear of today. After Jeremiah wore the belt, God directed him to take it off and hide it in some rocks near a river. Several days later, God told Jeremiah to return to Perath and retrieve the belt.
After sitting in the elements, the belt that was once perfect and clean was ruined and completely useless.
The belt was symbolic of the people of Judah. They were once a people who were close to God, just as the belt was once close to Jeremiah. Over time, the people of Judah allowed pride to come into their hearts, and this pride was as damaging to the people of Judah as the elements were to the belt. Eventually, that pride ruined them and rendered them completely useless to God.
If we are not careful, we will be like the people of Judah in our marriages, we can allow the “elements” to damage our relationship with our husband. We can start to feel alone, left out, like we are just two people living in the same home together but separate and pretty soon, we end up ruined and completely useless as someone who can reach inside our husbands lives and hearts. We need to make sure we “stop and pay attention” to what we are saying and doing in our marriage and being sure we are being the living representation of Christ in our homes.
That doesn’t mean being perfect, it means being authentic!
As I was with my mom and sister this weekend during one of our bible study evenings my mom broke down and shared some things in her life that happened about 50 years ago that she had no idea that either of us knew, it was so relieving to finally hear her tell this story. I have been knowing this about 15 years, however, she had no idea that I knew. She finally had some break thru moments that evening, because she was being “authentic” with us after all these years.
Here are a few things that came to my mind as I studied this lesson that I think we need to be reflecting and showing our husbands:
- Our hearts – what is in there
- Our minds – what are we thinking
- Our soul – what are our desires
Understand I know that some of our husbands may not want to hear these things, but if we approach him at the right time and in the right demeanor (meaning we have taken it to God first before we hit him with it) I truly believe he will be more receptive to hearing our authentic selves and not the pretend tiptoeing around spouse we are currently being. As Dineen shared with us; I also know that many of us don’t have the freedoms to voice our beliefs to our husband but we can live boldly through our actions, and through knowing Christ is there with us thru every moment to speak to us and lead the decisions and our words.
Let’s pray:
God I pray for each lady this week as we stop and pay attention to what each day and each moment in our marriage is saying to us and that You help us to be effective “fine linen belts” in our homes. In your name I pray. Amen!
Your assignment:
Dineen shared with us that she asked God to connect the dots with this story He gave her in this chapter about how it related to being unequally yoked, and He gave her a picture of how the believing spouse can be that fine linen belt…. So after you read this lesson “trading perfection for authenticity” did God show you something specific to help “you” connect dots for your marriage, if so would you share your thoughts with us today.
For the “Winning Him Without Words” Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!
