Sometimes Life Hits the Pause Button
If I'm honest with you, it feels like I lost an entire month.
May brought unexpected challenges, including doctor visits, hospital stays, procedures, recovery, and moments that forced me to slow down in ways I never planned. As someone accustomed to serving, teaching, encouraging, mentoring, and pouring into others, being forced to receive care instead of giving it was not easy.
There were days when I felt disconnected from my normal routine. Days when my body needed more attention than my schedule. Days when rest became my assignment.
Yet through it all, God reminded me of something powerful:
A pause is not a punishment. A pause is often preparation.
Sometimes God allows us to step away from the noise so He can strengthen us for what is next.
While I may have been absent from some of my regular activities, I was never absent from God's presence. He sustained me through every moment, every appointment, every prayer, and every uncertainty.
And because of His faithfulness, I am back with a renewed appreciation for what truly matters.
Thank You for Staying Connected
To every woman who continued to support A Wife's Toolbox, thank you.
Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you for your messages.
Thank you for your patience.
Thank you for your continued commitment to becoming the wife God has called you to be.
One thing I have learned over the years is that healthy marriages are not built only during the mountaintop seasons. They are strengthened during the valleys as well.
Marriage is not tested by how we love when everything is perfect.
Marriage is revealed by how we love when life becomes difficult.
If May taught me anything, it is this:
Life may interrupt our plans, but it cannot interrupt God's purpose.
Even in seasons of waiting, healing, and recovery, God is still working.
And that brings me to the tool I want us to focus on this month.
The Tool of Submission
Few words in marriage create more misunderstanding than the word submission.
For many people, submission sounds outdated, controlling, unfair, or one-sided.
But biblical submission is none of those things.
The enemy has worked hard to distort the meaning of submission because he understands its power.
Submission was never designed to make a woman smaller.
Submission was designed to make a marriage stronger.
What Submission Is Not
Let's clear up a few misconceptions.
Submission is not:
- Being silent when something is wrong.
- Accepting abuse or mistreatment.
- Losing your identity.
- Giving up your voice.
- Becoming less valuable than your husband.
- Agreeing with everything your husband says.
God never called wives to become invisible.
He created wives to be partners, helpers, encouragers, and builders.
Submission does not remove your influence. In fact, it often increases it.
What Submission Really Is
Submission is choosing to honor God's design for order within the marriage covenant.
It is a voluntary act of respect.
It is trusting God enough to release the need to control everything.
It is understanding that being submitted to God's order is different from being controlled by a person.
Biblical submission begins with a heart that is first submitted to God.
When a wife submits herself to God, she gains wisdom, discernment, strength, and peace that help her navigate her marriage with grace.
Submission Requires Strength
One of the greatest myths about submission is that it is weakness.
The truth is exactly the opposite.
Submission requires incredible strength.
It takes strength to choose respect when emotions are high.
It takes strength to listen before reacting.
It takes strength to pray when you want to argue.
It takes strength to trust God when you do not understand what He is doing.
Weakness reacts. Strength responds.
Submission is not a weakness. Submission is strength under control.
Submission and Partnership
A healthy marriage was never intended to be a dictatorship. God designed marriage as a partnership.
A husband should lead with love. A wife should respond with respect.
Both should serve one another. Both should sacrifice for one another, and both should honor one another.
Submission works best when leadership is rooted in love and love is rooted in Christ.
When both husband and wife submit to God, neither has to fight for power.
Questions Every Wife Should Ask Herself
Before focusing on what your husband is doing, ask yourself:
- Am I submitted to God?
- Do I speak to my husband with respect?
- Do I pray for him as much as I critique him?
- Do I trust God's process in our marriage?
- Am I trying to control outcomes that belong to God?
These questions are not about perfection. They are about growth.
Every healthy marriage requires both spouses to continually grow.
The Power of a Submitted Wife
A submitted wife is not a weak wife. She is a woman who understands her power.
She knows when to speak. She knows when to pray.
She knows when to wait. She knows when to encourage.
She knows when to trust God. She understands that submission is not surrendering to a man.
It is surrendering to God's plan.
And when a woman learns to trust God's design, she discovers a level of peace that control can never provide.
A Wife's Toolbox Challenge for June
This month, I challenge you to focus on one area where you can intentionally practice biblical submission.
Maybe it means:
- Listening more carefully.
- Praying before responding.
- Offering encouragement instead of criticism.
- Trusting God with an area you have been trying to control.
- Choosing unity over winning an argument.
Take one step. Then watch what God does with it.
Prayer
Father, help us become wives who honor You first. Teach us the true meaning of submission according to Your Word. Remove every misunderstanding, hurt, fear, and misconception that keeps us from embracing Your design for marriage. Help us walk in wisdom, strength, humility, and grace. Strengthen our marriages and draw our hearts closer to You and to our husbands. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Until Next Time...
Remember…
A wise wife is always building,
A growing wife is always growing, and a praying wife is never alone.
So, until next month, keep building, keep growing, and keep your toolbox ready.
You Got This 💜
Lady Tara Kyle