Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever! Praise be His most holy Name. He is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God. He is, was, and ever shall be. He sanctifies and blesses!
Thank You, God, for all thy benefits. Thank You for the Sacrament of Matrimony. Thank You for older experienced women sharing with younger generations. Thank You for younger generations reminding older experienced women of the joy and excitement of beginnings.
We are sorry, Lord, for the times we have strayed from Your Will for our lives to chase after our own. We repent of not seeking You and Your Kingdom first!
I received an invitation in the mail recently that really brought me to prayer and reflection. This formal invitation is to share with a soon to be bride how God has guided and blessed older married women. This is so awesome, and it did prompt me to sit, pray, and reflect. I love it! Three major areas came to mind as I pondered how God has guided and blessed my marriage, keeping in mind my favorite Scripture verse – Baruch 3:34.
“… the stars shown in their watches and were glad; He called them, and they said, ‘Here we are!’ They shown with gladness for Him who made them.”
I love this verse because the stars are joyful where they are placed because He who made them placed them there. Our vocations are similar – each has a specific watch or position, and we will shine with gladness when we respond to God’s call. My vocation as a wife has certainly been one of growth and learning.
One of the first lessons arose from time spent on a puzzle based on a work of art: THE BRIDE OF CHRIST by William Hallmark. I encourage you to look it up. Spending time with this image reminded me that Jesus is my “first husband”. You can giggle, but keep in mind how we often dress for our first Communion! Staying intimate with Jesus through the Sacraments is a necessity in helping me in my vocation as a wife. When I was working on the puzzle, I asked my hubby what he sensed husbands could learn from it. He simply said that it reminded him how he is supposed to love me.
An area of growth for me has been in my view of the marital embrace, which several couple friends have termed “laundry.” You can giggle at this too; I know our couple friends laugh at this term as well, but it has shown itself to be useful. I have grown to look at the marital embrace as a renewing of the Sacrament of Matrimony. It is holy! No wonder most wives I know love nice bedding; the marital bed is akin to an altar, for holy things happen there. An added bonus to this understanding is that making the bed and laundering the bedding are reminders to pray for our spouses; plus, you may never again look at actual laundry without giggling!
Another lesson is the relationship and balancing of the apron and the rocking chair, or the “Martha” and the “Mary,” seasons of our wifely vocations. I have grown to learn that they should be hand in hand. Our seasons will sway more heavily from one to the other, but making time for both and discerning to which God is calling is essential to the peace that only comes when we stay in our watch or in God’s will for us. I have also grown to learn that the rocking chair prepares us for the apron, and the apron prepares us for the rocking chair. When we sit in quiet and stillness, it allows God an opportunity to speak to our hearts and help us discern what the next step in our journey is. When I am “busy” taking those steps, I have found that my soul yearns for the quiet and stillness of my rocking chair. It is a constant balancing act, but we must be vigilant in discerning the balance. Not doing so usually results in feelings of exhaustion and stress; these do not a happy wife make! What I have concluded is that my apron and rocking chair are always in season; at times, one is more demanding than the other, but God helps me balance them in His time and in His way to accomplish His will.
Have you been in your vocation for a while? How has God guided and blessed you? What have you learned? How have you grown? Share, share, share…Someone needs to hear your story.
