You’ve heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words”. As important as our life-giving words are to building our homes, words without actions are meaningless. (James 2:17)
I’ll be honest here: I struggle with serving my family.
I grew up in a rigid patriarchal structure where women were expected to serve men, regardless of whether they were related to use or not. Women did all the cooking and cleaning, and their opinions were swiftly dismissed on the off chance that they dared express them. “See to your pots and pans,” they said.
I swore then, as a nine-year-old, never to be a man’s doormat. While I remained outwardly compliant, within me grew a fierce independence that would have gladly quipped, “I am woman, hear me roar” had I only known the lyrics back then.
By God’s amazing grace, I married a man who is completely opposite most of the men in my family. He has a servant’s heart, and has never once made me feel inferior or less-than, for being a woman or for any other reason. He cherishes me and goes out of his way to serve me.
And yet… I still struggle to serve him. [I share the rest of this story, as well as 3 Important Ways to Build Your Home, over at Essential Thing Devotions today. Join me there?]
Day 16 Challenge: Put your faith into action today. Ask the Spirit to empower you to practice what He has been teaching you, from the depth of your relationship with Jesus.
Father, thank You for Your patience with me. I SO don’t deserve it! Yet You patiently call me to repentance and obedience. Help me to put my faith into action and serve those closest to me, transforming my home into a place that breathes life into relationships.
This is the 16th post in the series, “Abiding in Christ–when reading the Bible isn’t an option.” Check out all the posts here.