Lysa Tiongson-San Agustin gave up on her marriage because she had a hard time submitting to a passive husband. She filed for annulment and it was granted. However, at that time, there were forty granted annulment cases so the Solicitor General decided to randomly pull out five cases to be reviewed for reconsideration. Lysa’s annulment was among the five.
Meanwhile, her sister, Malu Ortiz, shared the gospel with her. Lysa gave her life to Jesus and did not pursue the annulment anymore. Lysa and her husband were reunited and now both serve in Victory church. Lysa wants to share how she learned to submit to her husband as unto God.
This is Lysa’s testimony as featured in 700 Club Asia entitled, “God Will Restore Your Marriage”:
G – God is the center
R – Respect your husband
A – Accept him unconditionally
C – Companion (be your husband’s companion)
E – Enjoy him
Mark 10:9 Therefore what God has joined let not man separate.
Here is a summary of takeaway insights from Lysa’s talk with the Praying Wife Forum last February 1.
G- od is the Center of marriage. He doesn’t make mistakes. He is using your husband as the perfectly suitable partner for your good to achieve Christlikeness
R- espect your husband as unto God regardless of irreconcilable differences and your feelings.
A-ccept your husband unconditionally and accept that just as you are imperfect, husband is imperfect as well and will not be able to perfectly meet your expectations or needs
C-ompanion. Pray to be your husband’s recreational companion and confidante; pray for ways to make your attitude a safe haven for him to be himself and express himself that out of all the people in the world, your company will be a comfort for him to seek. (Positive, joyful, Christlike, nonjudgmental, servant heart, good listener, affirming, w sense of humour. Hindi: nega, principal, parang nagging nanay, commander, complainer, bigat dalhin, resistant, critical)
E-njoy your husband even in his imperfection. Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s a given that he will irritate you just as you will irritate him. Focus on the good.
*Live a life of daily forgiveness. [as long as you have not reached perfection and you still need God’s forgiveness, it is a wise choice to set your mind to forgive, even with tears)
*Don’t keep track of wrongs.
*Filter your friends and who you share your problem with. Those who are not walking with God will lead you to walk away from Him too.
*Don’t impose your expectations on your husband. It is a fact that no human can be everything nor do everything according to your specs. Expect from God only. Don’t confuse husband as God.
*True love is not based on fleeting feelings but a decision to seek the highest good of an imperfect person which often requires sacrifice.🙏 #helpusGod
Additional Notes from Lyn Atun:
° Submit to your husband in everything except to sin (immoral and illegal acts, etc)
° Go beyond yourself when you accept your husband’s shortcomings
° Pause, pause, pray
° Our security comes from the Lord, not from our husband
° Not all our laws are patterned from the Bible
° Annulment and VAWC (Violence against women and children) will not necessarily remove the pain or solve the problem; forgiveness is important; is not necessarily the solution when you replace one sinner with another sinner that compounds your problem and it will not guarantee a better life
° Fight for your marriage
° Concentrate on other things (children, career, etc)
° Do not say bad things about your husband
° Check your motives
° God didn’t make a mistake when He gave you your husband
° Queen Esther as a good example of submission: she fasted for three days, “if it pleases the king, if I have found favour in your sight”
° When asking a favour from your husband,
Proverbs 21:1 In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him
Breakout Questions:
- How submissive am I (1-10, 10 highest)?
- What’s hindering me from submitting 100%?
- What steps will I take to close the gap.
