1 Peter 3:7 says "Husbands, likewise, dwell with your wife with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered."
I know so many women these days that the hair on the backs of their neck stand up when they hear that the woman is a weaker vessel. Hence, the feminist movement, which with each passing day grows stronger and stronger. Its the whole "anything you can do I can do better" line of thinking. I, personally, detest the feminist movement. Now, don't quit reading yet. You may not like what I have to say, but you can take that up with God on judgement day. I am following His pattern for women and wives and honestly, I am quite thankful for it.
So, lets think. How many women love having their husband open the car door for them? Carry in the groceries? Plunge the toilet when it needs it? Fix the stove? Fix anything in the house? Mow the lawn? etc, etc. I will raise my hand. Do I do some of those things that I just listed? Of course. I love mowing the lawn. I detest plunging the toilet. It makes me feel special when he opens the car door for me. On any given trip to the grocery store, Caleb can carry about 10 more bags into the house at a time than me. Why? He's stronger. But, is being the weaker vessel just about strength? I don't think so. Remember back in 1800's how the women wore pretty dresses, and stayed inside most of the day doing housework and tending to the children? Does that sound reminiscent of God's role for the woman? To be a keeper at home and raise the kids? The woman is in a word, more frail. We are created to be gentle, to be cared for, to be loved. That does not at all give us a license to sit on the couch all day and do nothing. Because, we are supposed to be the keepers of the home. We are also supposed to be submissive to our husbands. That is truly a joy for me. I get to serve the man who goes out all day and works so that I can in turn stay home and teach the kids and keep up with the house. Being submissive means I just get to "follow orders". If women really knew how simple that was, they would love it too. I just do as Caleb says. He is not harsh or nasty or mean or a slave driver, its quite the opposite. He loves me tremendously. He asks me to pay the bills, or to do tasks here and there that are outside my normal. It is so nice to not be the one that has to make all the decisions. I just go with whatever happens! Yes, I do make some decisions. I do have freedom. I am not a woman who is forced to walk three steps behind my husband. Its quite the opposite there too. I walk hand in hand with the love of my life. I follow his lead but he keeps me by his side.
I do not agree with the women who feel like they need to bring home the bacon. I do not agree with the women who use manipulation within the home to do as they please and get their husbands to agree. I do not agree with the women who yell and scream and fight their husbands because they are not getting their way. I believe the husband has the right to say "no, this is how it is going to be" and that the woman needs to be quiet and agree regardless of what her thoughts are. Now, does this sound extreme? Yes, in this generation it does sound extreme. Do I care? Not in the least. I am following the God of the Bible. The creator of the Universe. The God who blessed me with a loving husband and 3 wonderful little boys to love. The very same God who told the apostle Peter to pen the words that the woman is the weaker vessel.
I am thankful to consider myself the weaker vessel. Thankful that God provides men with the ability to care and love and take care of women. I know their are even people that I am close to that will have a hard time swallowing this post. I ask you to please, consider and pray about the role God has set out for women. Meditate on how you are doing as a wife. Make changes if you need to. Ask your husband how he thinks you are doing and take what he says as constructive criticism and fix what you need to. You have no idea how much better your marriage will be until you have lived it in the way God intends for marriages to be lived. I hope I have not completely offended anyone. That was not my intention. I wish to merely try and awaken this generation of "God-fearing" women who think they can run the roost and that it is the way it is supposed to be. It is not. The man is head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the Church. The man is to submit to Christ and the woman is supposed to submit to the man. If it is all working properly, life will be completely grand regardless of the hard times that may come along.
