A call for a change of attitude

Yesterday I received an email entitled "The Way it Was". It contained an article supposedly from Housekeeping Monthly May 13, 1955, and the contents of the article gave tips to women about how they should respond to their husbands upon their coming home after a long day's work. Some of the suggestions included:

• preparing yourself before he gets home by putting a ribbon in your hair and refreshing your makeup
• clean up your children and keep them quiet because they are little treasures and your husband would want to see them as such
• make your husband his favorite meal and have it prepared and ready to go upon his arrival
• provide a "lift" for him after his possibly boring day by being a little more gay
• be happy to see him
• greet him with a smile and show your desire to please him
• never complain if he comes home late or even if he stays out all night. count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through during the day
• listen to him. let him speak first. you may have dozens of important things to say, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. remember-his topics of conversation are more important than yours
• cater to his comfort. this will provide you with immense satisfaction

I could go on, but you can see it for yourself at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Goodwifeguide.jpg. This article may be fraudulent, but I know in fact that at least the first column is taken from a book published in the 1950s for women about how we are to act and behave. I found this book 10+ years ago at a garage sale. Women 50 years ago found nothing wrong with responding to their husbands in the manner encouraged. Women of today probably scoff at the suggestions in the article as they are very contrary to how we are taught to think of ourselves and our husbands in today's world. People are naturally selfish, and our society actually encourages this behavior by telling us to "nurture our self esteem" and ask ourselves "how did this make ME feel?" I understand why those ideas are taught, but unfortunately they are contrary to Scripture and thus they are wrong.

Jesus said in three of the Gospels that we are to "deny ourselves" (Luke 9:23; Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34). Jesus also said that we are to "love our neighbors as ourselves". (Luke 10:27) He went on to explain that our "neighbor" encompasses even our enemies. Are our husbands our enemies? I would hope not. But if we are to deny ourselves and treat even our enemies with self-sacrificing love, then how much more should we be doing that towards our husbands, the ones we have sworn an oath to love?

Think of this: if each family member in our homes thought of the other members as a neighbor who was more important than themselves would not the harmony of home life increase? We would have peace and tranquility in our lives because we would no longer be thinking of OUR needs and questioning if they are being met. We would instead be concerned about others in the home and meeting THEIR needs and since they would be doing the same EVERYONE would be living in a happier, healthier home.

I challenge all wives AND husbands AND children as well to think of our family members as our neighbors and show them self-sacrificing love. I encourage you to think of them and the things they have to say, etc. as indeed more important than you. Try it. Go ahead. Do it. And guess what you get as a reward for doing this? "Immense satisfaction" that comes from pleasing our Father in heaven. That's the best reward you can receive.