"Soft is nice...but there still needs to be structure!"

I said those words the other day, and I have been thinking about them ever since!  Every article in life has some kind of structure!  Yes, even the silly putty...that I just confiscated from one of our students...has a base recipe that gives it structure.

When I look around our home...I see the effects of the "under-lying structure" of each part of our actual home and piece that is used to furnish our home.  I like the soft layers that add that cozy feeling to our home.  I like to update those things.  I change things for the seasons.  But...there always must be some sort of foundation and frame!  The softness comes from the outside layers used for comfort and decoration.

Whether we like or not as women, God has provided a structure for our homes to be a place of love and safety.  Ephesians 5 lays out the structure for us.  There is love, safety, and strength to be found in following that authority structure.

God

Husband

Wife

Children

When a man and woman put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, a foundational structure is built.  As men obey and follow God's Word, they are adding parts that make the structure usable and firm.  Ephesians 6:4

When women, follow God's Word and submit to the leadership of our husbands, we then experience the peace and love that decorates our home.  We are being the helpmeets that God designed us to be.  We are the "fluffers" of that "soft place to fall".  

If we put the fluff on the couch before the the springs and first layer of padding, the couch is not comfortable!

Moms, we can't take Dad's place in the order that God designed!  It never works.

Proverbs 14:1

I watched our children play with our couch pillows and cushions.  They were "building a house"...and any time pressure was applied...the pillows lost their fluffiness and stability...and their houses crumbled.

What a wonderful object lesson for this emotionally charged woman!

I Peter 3:7

Mom, you can't build your home on softness!

Dad, it is your job to build on God's foundational structure. 

Children, you are to obey your parents...in all things. 

A woman's emotions and feelings change daily.  We need to be constantly going to God's Word for help.  God gave us our husbands to stand firm, think logically, and provide leadership in our weaknesses. 

But often...we pick up our "pillows" (sometimes adding a brick of disdain or a vase of criticism) and beat on them.  We think we aren't doing any damage with this type of "pillow fight".  We think we are being kind and loving...by covering up the ungodly attitudes and words with a sweet sounding voice or a smile on you face.  But our husbands hear the clenched teeth and God sees your heart.  When you batter the structure of anything using sharp or hard objects...eventually...the structure will begin to give way.   Our husbands begin to duck or stay away...the structure that God gave us...is weakened or absent...and often...it is our fault!  Oh sure, we all have responsibility and accountability before God.  And that is what we have forgotten...our responsibility as a wife...to God's design and order.

You must have structure before you can have softness.  Look at the picture of the couch...even the manufacturers of your prized furniture have figured that out!  They had a plan...it started with a foundational structure!  I wonder...how many homes are missing that foundational plan and structure.  

When Dad isn't at home or present in the home, there is still God's authority to hold on to!  Without Dad there to take the burden, it does make it harder.  God even has an answer for that need! 

See Titus 2, Hebrews 10, and Proverbs

We live in a sin cursed world. 

 People violate God's laws. 

 People fail. 

 But there is always hope...for a people who will follow God's Word...not anyone else's!  Have you searched the Scriptures for yourself lately?  Acts 17:11

God never fails!  He has a plan!

When we read God's Word...He gives us what we need. 

Last week, we watched the news program that showed the effects of this sin cursed world.  I saw the effects of what happens when there is an absence of Biblical structure based on God's Words.  Satan attacked the home...the women...and he has gotten the victory...for now. People violate God's laws. People fail. 

Without a sure foundation built on His righteousness, there will be no solid structure...

and the rest will just be useless fluff.

There is always hope...because God's Word will stand forever and His love never changes.