Marriage Then...Marriage Now

"The Good Wife's Guide" is the title of a very amusing article printed in May, 1955 in Housekeeping Monthly.....just a few short months before my very own parents were married. It includes tips on how a good wife welcomes her weary husband home from a long day of work. Daddy said he had Mama sign a pre-nupt based on these rules and has it hidden in an undisclosed location. Heehee. Probably locked up in that trunk in the attic with their love letters.

Here are a few thought-provoking quotes from the article:

"Minimize all noise....Try to encourage the children to be quiet." (Our kids are not normally loud, so this one is easy. But, we don't subscribe to the "kids should be seen and not heard" belief.)

"Remember...his topics of conversation are more important than yours." (At first glance, Romans 12:10 comes to mind..."give preference to one another." Nothing wrong with that.)

"Don't complain if he's home late for dinner or even if he's out all night." (WHAT!?!?! Yeah, right.)

"Remember, he is the master of the house. You have no right to question him."

And last but not least:

"A good wife always knows her place."

Ok. Here's the deal. Apparently sociology professors all over the US are reading this little article to their classes. My friend's prof told her class of well over 100 students that this is how "the church" today expects wives to submit to their husbands. That is simply not true. (Read the WHOLE article here.) This might represent expectations of man in some institutional churches but this does not represent the Father I know nor does it represent our 16 year Christ-centered marriage. Godly submission in a marriage is a two way street, for one thing. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and as their own bodies. Wives in turn are to submit to their husbands. (Eph 5) In our home, FeO does an amazing job of loving me. One reason is bc He knows how Father loves him. FeO's precious, he's kind, gentle, loving. He has no undue expectations on me, passes no judgment, forces no rules, does not "put me in my place". He just loves me because he does. That makes it truly a joy to be his wife....to submit to him. What does that mean in this family? It does not mean I don't have a voice. It does not mean that I am a doormat. It means that we love and respect each other. When a tough decision needs to be made, he hears and lovingly considers my opinion. We are rarely not on the same page, anyway, but the final decision is up to him. I am good with that. And I am good with that because FeO is a Godly man. He follows Father, hears His voice. I totally and completely trust him because he totally and completely trusts the Lord.

The poor, misguided professor is wrong. He needs to do a little research at our house...and plenty of others I know... before making such broad, sweeping statments.