CTBHHM: Chapter 1

Now that the whole fmaily is better (thank you EVERYONE for your prayers), I hope to get back to the picture taking and journaling again (for anyone who cares). :)

An online group I am a part of is reading through the Created To Be His Help Meet book for the first time. I have not read it in a while, so I am going through it with them.

I know there is a LOT of debate about this book. You will find people either hate it or love it. I personally am one who loves it. It has transformed me and changed my marriage. And as I continue to learn and grow in this area of my life, my marriage continues to be better than ever. I am so thankful for what God has taught me through His word and this book.

If you disagree, that is fine, just skip these posts. If you agree, that is fine. Either way, I hope that anyone who reads these will be blessed and possibly be a better wife and have a better marriage as a result. Delve into God's word and be blessed. :D

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Chapter 1 - some quotes and my thoughts

"A wise woman does not take anything for granted."
Oh how this really hit me. My husband is a pretty much laid back guy. I can sometimes (way more often than I should) put him on the back burner while I put the kids in first place above him. I know that he likes a clean house, but I can let it slide (and have for YEARS) because I know that he will not say much of anything about it (until it gets to be TOO much). I have totally taken for granted my husband's love and patience.

"Do you wake each morning ready to make your husband happy and blessed, to serve him to the best of your ability?"
Sadly, most of the time I am dragging myself out of bed. I got to sleep way too late and the kids are up way too early. And when I am up, my first thoughts are "gotta get going and take care of the kids." My first thought is not pleasing and blessing my husband and sadly, it is not the Lord either. I do not wake up with a smile on my face and a joyful heart ready to serve. I need to work on that.

"The degree to which you reverence your husband is the degree to which you reverence your Creator."
OUCH! I read this book once before and do not remember reading that. :D But I can totally see this as true in my life.

"God made you to be a help meet to your husband so you can bolster him, making him more productive and efficient at whatever he chooses to do."
I have to say that I know this first hand. I have sadly tried to make my husband into something he is not (we will get to that later in the book so I will save more story for then). But the words "whatever **HE** chooses to do" is something that really stuck out to me this time. My husband has a lot of ideas (he is a Mr. Visionary) and could have gone so FAR if I had supported him in what HE wanted to do. But so many times, and I STILL sadly struggle with this, so many times I try to get him to do what I want him to do. My husband is a MUCH MUCH MUCH (a thousand times over) happier man when I "bolster" him making him "more productive and efficient" and whatever HE chooses to do.

"A perfect help meet is one who does not require a list of chores as would a child. Her readiness to please motivates her to look around and see the things she knows her husband would like to see done."
I am so guilty of taking what I would guess to be the lazy way out. If my husband has not asked it of me, I do not do it. And I do ask him things I can do to help him. But how much more precious and valuable to him am I when I take the time to look around and see and DO what I know my husband would like to be done without him even having to ask?!?! I know that when I am having a tough day and my husband sees that and makes dinner for me (so I do not have to), that is so much more of a blessing then "why can't my husband see I am having a bad day? I will ask him to make dinner for me."

I also like how she talks about why she uses the words "help meet" rather than helpmeet or help-meet. A helper to meet the needs to her husband. LOVE that.