We’re on Week 4 of the The Excellent Wife series. You can catch up on the older posts here. This week we’re diving into chapters 7 and 8.
Chapter 7: Christ
The subtitle of this chapter is “The Wife’s Heart” and yes, it does emphasize Christ being the center of our hearts. Often, we place more importance on other trivial things, and relegate Christ to a distant corner; to call on only when absolutely required. An idol then takes His place in our lives.
“An idol can be anything. It may even be a good thing. Bur if we want it so badly that we sin if we don’t get it or sin to attain it, then we are worshiping an idol rather than Christ.”
We have to be extra cautious that the good things we want (good health, a better marriage or obedient children) don’t displace Christ from our hearts. And then, there are those things we turn to when we need a break (food, sleep, television, exercise, reading, social media, etc.) that soon become our comfort and refuge. While none of these are sinful activities, they could become the “false saviors” we turn to when we face difficulties in our lives.
The chapter ends with practical tips to help us set our minds on things above. Here are a few that I’m personally working on:
- Building contentment by frequently thanking God for my circumstances.
- Investing my spare time in God’s Word.
- Not giving in to sinful anger (when I feel frustrated) and anxiety.
Chapter 8: Home
This is one chapter where I have highlighted almost every other line. It gave me a new perspective – home is the wife’s domain. In light of my previous struggle to accept my responsibility as a worker at home, I can only thank God that He’s opened my eyes and helped me fulfill my responsibilities at home.
There’s a section in this chapter, for women who are (or who are thinking of) working outside the home. There are a set of questions the author encourages them to answer, to help them find their motive for working outside the home. I have asked myself the same questions and I can honestly say that my motives seemed selfish and reflected discontentment in my life. Suffice to say, I won’t be seeking employment until I have the right motives.
The second half of this chapter deals with creating a godly atmosphere in our homes.
“The wife and mother in a family often sets the tone in the home. The tone God wants her to set is one of joy, optimism and a delight in the Lord and in her family.”
Something that struck a chord within me is when the author questions how our families would describe us? Would my family describe me as God-fearing and loving or bitter and complaining? Yikes!
The rest of the chapter is about cultivating a joyful attitude and being a wife who is gentle and patient. I realize that I can try hard to be gentle, kind, patient, loving, joyful and self controlled; but I fail constantly. I’m thankful for a God who does not give up on me, but who constantly encourages me to keep going. To keep working on myself, so I can set the tone in my home the way He wants me to .
Other posts in this series:
- An Excellent Wife: Introduction
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 1 & 2
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 3 & 4
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 5 & 6
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 7 & 8
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 9 & 10
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 11 & 12
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 13 & 14
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 15 & 16
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 17 & 18
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 19 & 20
- An Excellent Wife: Chapter 21 & Conclusion
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