Of Submission and the Sunday News

You don't have to talk to me long about marriage to learn that I subscribe to the "old fashioned" and unpopular act of submission. It's something I try to practice and believe in. One of my favorite writings on this is from Marla Taviano in her book http://www.taviano.com/marla/books/from-blushing-bride-to-wedded-wife.html (From Blushing Bride to Wedded Wife). There's a back to back section about submission, followed by respect. I think I should be required by law to read it daily.

So instead of talking a lot about it, I thought I'd share this story.

On Sunday, I went down to pick up the Sunday papers. Chris usually reads both the local papers every weekend, so one of us has to pick them up on Sunday. I went into Rutters to grab them before I made us a very late breakfast. There was a guy there trying to get sign ups for our local Sunday paper for delivery. They always get you because they offer you a free paper. I went ahead and took one, but I knew I wasn't going to go for the offer, even if it was good. The reason was exactly what I told the guy. I don't make decisions like that without talking to my husband --

--side note: my hubby doesn't require me to discuss everything with him first. If the paper thing was something only I participated in every week, and I wanted to take my spending money to subscribe, he wouldn't have cared. But since this is something that's important to him, all final decisions route through him. Same goes for anything moderate or major. Minor things often don't require a discussion. --

--Being a sales person, he still tried to get me to buy it. What if after I talked to my husband, the offer was gone? But he even went to the point that he hid in one of his points that I should "be a big girl and just do it."

Wow.

I didn't say anything back to him. I knew it wasn't worth it, he was just trying to do his job. But it was pretty offensive to me. Be a big girl? Does he understand how hard it is sometimes to submit? That takes a bigger girl. Don't get me wrong, I was glad for an out on this one, and I often would much rather have my hubby take the big decisions for me, but sometimes it is hard to let go and trust that allowing my husband the head of our household will work. And it does. Because God honors us when we do things the right way.