Dear Old Woman,

OK, ok... I know you're not old.  But it's not me who's calling you that... it's Paul!  He's the one who said it, not me.  Some translations use the adjective mature or older.  If, I'm picking, I'll use the word "more experienced"... because even though we're almost the same age, you have lots of years ahead of me when it comes to being a wife.  And I just want to say Thank You for being real with me.  Thank you for telling me the truth sides of marriage... how wonderful it is - and how very, very hard it is.  Thank you for telling me how you have to continually grow in both the attitude of and actions of loving your husband.  Thank you for telling me how it is God who is equipping you.  Thank you for letting me hear how you are praying for God to mature you.  Thank you for talking about how God will be faithful to finish what He has started in both you and your husband.  Thank you for talking about how your learning about submission of the heart - to both your husband and to the Lord.  Thank you for talking about your husband in a honoring way, one that doesn't hurt his reputation in my eyes.  Thank you for telling me that I will need to do the same.  You're doing exactly what Paul describes when he tells Titus how to train women in the church.

...teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live... then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands...


This love their husbands is a compound word - one that literally means agape of husband.  You know agape - that famous love word of friendship, dearness, enjoyment of, wanting the best for, taking care of.   And you teach me how to do that.  Don't stop.