1 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.                

I read an article to the ladies from Christian Parenting Today, by Karen Harter entitled, "I Have a Dream". In it the mother awakens to the dawn of a new day. The house was immaculate with the aroma of fresh coffee filling the air. She had a leisurely breakfast on table of fresh flowers and tasteful stereo music, enjoying quiche and grapefruit skimming of the New York Times and awaiting a romantic breakfast with her husband who following his shower dresses neatly folding his pajamas and depositing his wet towel in the hamper. He cheerfully joins his wife for breakfast and meaningful conversation. What a dream!

Then she hears the yell, "Mom, Michael's wet his bed again and now he's trying to get into mine." This awakens mom from her dream.  She notices that her husband is gone for the day with the laundry basket dumped onto the bedroom floor and clothes scattered all over.  The kitchen is a mess with cereal and spilled milk.  

She woke, “It is 10 A.M. and I am still un showered and uncombed. I am on my hands and knees scrubbing jam off the linoleum; while mentally stewing my husband for not leaving me the checkbook so I can pay the bills. Through the handprints on the sliding glass door, I see two brown legs. They are attached to a handsome UPS man who is looking down at me with an amused sort of smirk.  

I hate that. He probably thinks I am messy, disorganized, undisciplined housewife. Oh yes, I know what he's thinking. He's thinking my bangs are too short, and my children are unkempt, and those curtains look tacky with that wallpaper."           

What Karen Harter describes in her article articulates the dream compared to the reality. We chide ourselves and feel we fail miserably when what we've dreamed and what has occurred are two different worlds.   

Part of the problem is the Home and Garden magazines. Part of the problem is preachers who insist a Christian marriage and home should fulfill the ideal of husband and wife living merrily with hallowed lives leaning on the wisdom and strength of God, who orders our lives in such a way that marital bless, and perfect parenting is the natural normal results for all who claim Jesus as Savior. We think that's the way all Christian's live except my family. So, we keep it a secret.  

Christ's desire for Christian marriages is harmony. How can it be a happier place? One way is to seek to fulfill God's design in your role as a wife and husband.  Each spouse needs to apply Biblical principles to assure the harmony He desires.  

Don't you find it interesting that there are 6 verses for women, and only one for men. Part of the problem you see, is that in the first century if a man accepted Christ the wife followed. It was not the other way around. It was true then and is true today that women were more open to the gospel than men were. After women turned to Christ the question was, how then are they to live to positively witness to their unsaved husband. As head of the households the men often resented what happened and it meant further suffering for their wives.

Application:   What was the best way to win their husband over to Christ?

Prayer:  Father, teach me my role in these teachings on submission, always wanting to bring glory to You by witnessing to those around me.