"Husbands, Love..."

“Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”

(Colossians 3:19)

I like this verse!

There are four Greek words for love. This one happens to be Agapeo.

This word is not about friendship but a sacrificial love that only God 

possess. So how is the husband to love his wife? The same way that 

Christ loved the church, by sacrifice.

I Corinthians 13 says it very nicely:

“Love is patient and kind.

Love does not envy or boast.

Love is not arrogant or rude.

Love does not insist on its own way.

Love is not irritable or resentful...

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, 

endures all things.”

The verses of these two days are ridiculous! Did I hear someone mutter,

“impossible?” It is true. Women do not easily come under authority, and 

men do not love with their hearts easily. Actually, when I first got married I 

thought that marriage was a joke, something to keep God amused. But, it 

is not so. In the book of Genesis we find that, “it is not good for man to be 

alone; I will make a helpmeet for him."  It is a picture of Christ and the 

Church. The love that Paul is speaking of is beyond our comprehension 

and will take eternity to unravel. 

So where does this leave the husband? Usually struggling to understand

the woman God gave him and finding out that he cannot love her. Only

God can. God dwells in him if he is a Christian. He only has to give up 

and ask God to love her through him. Papa God loves “help me” prayers.

(I briefly thought about getting Glen to write this post...)

See my NEW story:

http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

"Wives, Submit..."

Yuk! I don’t want to have to do this verse. Would love to leave 

it out, but here goes...

“Wives submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting

in the Lord.”  (Colossians 3:18)

Then there is the verse in Ephesians:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For

the husband is head of the wife even as Christ is head of

the Church, his body...”  (Ephesians 5:22,23)

Strongs Concordance: To subordinate, be in subjection to.

Paul says the same thing to both churches. What tough verses 

to consider in our culture in the 21st century! Well, perhaps, Paul 

was writing just to the church at that time and it has nothing to do 

with me today? Ah, but there is the little phrase indicating that I am 

to submit to my husband as to the Lord, which ruins my argument. 

My flesh rebels at this thought. I don’t want to submit--to either of 

them. As I am thinking this through and trying to figure out what 

is being said, I think of something we are going through in the present.

I want to retire from the Northern Virginia area and move to Arizona 

where I can be near a beloved grandchild, but my husband has an 

interesting, fulfilling job here and is certainly not ready to retire. My 

decision is to defer to Glen and appeal to God who has the plan, and,

who knows my desires. I know from experience that God has been 

very good to me and will not withhold His best from me, so why are 

we still here? 

Papa, you know what I want and you know what Glen wants and they

seem to be so different. I am willing to walk with you through this 

season with the attitude that You are in charge of Glen. I choose 

to wait on You. 

See my NEW story:

http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/StoriesAFairyTaleWedding.html

New Story is Up!

A Fairy Tale Wedding, by Jane Corwin Reeves

http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/StoriesAFairyTaleWedding.html

Yesterday Morning at the Park

Yesterday morning I took Noah to the park down the street. There were some wonderful things 

to climb on, a a slide just his size, sand to dig into. What did he play with? His umbrella stroller, 

of course! I watched him as he reached up high to hold onto the handles, then steer it until it 

went into the sand or the grass. I watched him work to get the wheels unstuck from the sand 

by backing up. He knew how to lift the back wheels but not the front wheels. He learned that 

to steer with one hand only turned his toy in circles. He stopped when he came to an obstacle 

and turned the stroller away. It was only at the end of 30 minutes that he began to call out for
 help. He was tired and needed someone to help him navigate. 

What did I learn in that half hour? I learned that a toddler works hard as he plays. He is testing 
things out to see what works. He is able to handle frustration much better at the beginning 
than toward snack time. He knows when to call out for help. As I watch Noah I also see 
transparency. He is what he is at any given moment and he can go from laughing to crying 
in a split second. He reveals his emotions. He is a lover. He likes to please. He is surprisingly 
able to follow simple commands--does not always want to! But, with patience on the side 
of the adult, he can be distracted.

Evidently, these are characteristics that God loves for Jesus said, “Let the little children come 
to me and forbid them not, for, of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Papa God wants me to be me, 
because He loves me. He wants me to express my emotions and He wants me to ask for help. 
As I continue in this Christian life I realize that trying to live the Christian life through my own 
effort gets me stuck in the sand. When I was younger I “could play the game” longer before 
I got tired and gave up. More and more I am amazed at how little things come together that 
I had no idea were important until afterward. My Papa God is there even when I don’t know 
He is paying close attention, just as I paid close attention to Noah yesterday. He was oblivious 
of me--until he needed something.

See my stories:

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Stress in the Life of a Toddler

(I am babysitting said Toddler as I write this.)

Yesterday I asked, “What do you do with a twenty month old, anyway?”

Just imagine a six hour journey with a Toddler who is belted into a car seat, 

that does not come with a toy chest, a drink bar, or a reclining seat--let alone 

a McDonalds play aea! We propped up the diaper bag with toys and a 

sippy cup and off we went. The trip from Phoenix to Las Vegas is pretty barren 

and there are few places to stop. We made two stops, one of which had a 

playground for tots, and then came the end of the journey taking us  into 

the western sun, rush hour traffic, and increasing noise from the back seat. 

A thought ran through the mother’s mind. PRAY. And so we did. We prayed 

that God would send an angel to babysit. Noah was quiet for the next 45 minutes. 

Blissfully quiet!

Thank you, Papa, that you love Moms, Grandmom’s but especially toddlers. 

How is it that an angel would spend time entertaining a Toddler!

Above the Storm

Above the Storm

This past Friday I flew to Phoenix where my daughter picked me up and then we drove 

to Las Vegas where we attended the wedding of my beautiful, talented niece.

Sunday we drove back to Arizona for what turned out to be six hours or so in the car, 

with a 20 month old?

Meanwhile, on the east coast friends and family were getting ready for a major storm 

of epic proportions and for the last 24 hours have endured high winds, heavy rain,

high tides and even, in some cases, heavy snow. It has been called the biggest 

weather event ever because a cold front met a hurricane and the whole mess turned 

into a massive nor’easter. Meanwhile, here in Arizona, the sun is shining and I am 

preparing to enter into another beautiful day. I am “above the storm,” so to speak. 

It has caused me to ponder many things and my journey has taken me to Psalm 42:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear 

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 

though its waters roar and foam, 

though the mountains tremble at is swelling…

‘BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.’”

Whether in the midst of the storm, or removed from the storm, 

whether I feel safe or not, 

I am safe. 

Why, because “God is my refuge, a well proved help in trouble.”

“Papa, My heart goes out to those who woke up this morning and 

found chaos and destruction everywhere. Many have lost everything. 

You are in their midst and I pray 
that they will be still and in that stillness, know that You are God.”

See the stories in my website:

http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

A Celebration!

It is Thursday morning and I am packing to leave on Friday for a wedding on 

Saturday. However, my clothes are laid out for a celebration this afternoon.

Several years ago a gal named Erin was suddenly asked to leave 

the house by her husband of six years and she left, without furniture 

or her beloved dog. The pain was unimaginable as she found herself 

living with one person after another, even living in her car at times over 

the next six months. I met Erin early in this process and saw how God 

provided for her in the midst of the storm. During that time she believed 

God for the restoration of her marriage. Then came the divorce, and more 

pain. However, I could see what a deep thing God was doing in the heart 

of lovely Erin. 

Clint is a precious man of God who lost his wife after a four year struggle 

with Cancer. He and his wife had five children--all girls. God brought these 

two hurting people together and Clint began to court Erin. She has a heart 
for teenage girls and has ministered to struggling teens for many years. 
Several months ago Clint slipped a ring on Erin’s finger as he asked her 
to marry him. She said “yes” while trusting God to help her to be the kind 
of Mom these girls needed. 

What a faithful, gracious God we have!

“Clint and Erin, I am so in awe of what God has done for the two of you and 

for those five beautiful girls. I can’t wait to be there when Pastor Bob 

pronounces you, “husband and wife.”  See you very soon. I love you!”

See Pastor Bob’s story on my website!

http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html