“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church… Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” Ephesians 5:22-25
When God creates a family, he means a family that is solid. This does not happen by itself, there are elements that are needed to achieve this.
The roles of a husband are to be a priest, a prophet and a king. A priest means to be responsible for the spiritual life of his family. A prophet means to walk with God with intimacy so that he understands the will of God and teaches it to his family. A king means to be responsible to fulfill the needs of his family, to protect and take care of the family members. The roles of a wife are to be a helper, a partner and a comforter. As a helper, she helps her husband to maximize his roles. The same like Adam after Eve came to be with him. They were given a greater mandate to dominate and conquer the earth. As a partner, even though men are physically stronger than women, women have strengths that men do not have: they have a higher sensitivity. As a comforter, wives serve the emotional and external needs of their husbands. In this case, the roles of husband and wife cannot be replaced.
Stay courageous toward your partner even though you are facing many difficulties and challenges. Marrying someone you love does not mean there will be no conflicts or problems. Marriage is not a journey to be happy, but it is an establishment of God’s creation, to fulfill His plan, Genesis 1:26-28.
As for managing finances in the family, let the Lord be the benchmark. Every facility, finance, and other materialistic things are God’s gift to be managed for His glory. We are not owners, but managers. When we think that money comes from our sweat and tears, we will hold onto it even tighter. We will be attached to money and it will become our master. Money will control us. Jesus would no longer be the Lord and controller of our family. Practically, we should give thanks of the blessing we receive by giving tithes, offerings and saving it; then, we can use the leftover. The use of money has to align with the building of the kingdom of God.
Marriage is something that is very exclusive and cannot be shared with anyone else. Other people can replace the function of a father or mother, but the function of a husband or wife cannot be represented by anyone else. Entering the year of 2017, let us make Jesus as the Lord and King who controls the life of our family. God bless!
Taken from GBI Gatot Subroto article, Jakarta