Being One Of Many WivesWhat is it like to be one of seven wives, or even one of two or three, for that matter? To be one of many, not the only one, when your husband is all and everything to you? What is it like to share your husband's love and caring with other women who love your husband just as much as you do? What is it like to be without children when you husband's other wives bear children to him regularly and in abundance? What's it like to be the new wife in a group, or the oldest among them? I cannot answer any of these questions from experience. But let me tell you some general ideas of how to deal with issues that might appear in a polygamous household. "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." (Titus 2:3-5)We want a big family with many children, in order to be able to build God's Kingdom on earth. Since we believe that God's will for us is good and right and true, we look to the bible and find that one husband usually had many wives back then, bishops and deacons excepted, who were supposed to have only one wife. And I am willing to be one of the wives of my husband, willing to raise children sprung from him but not necessarily from me, willing to build a home for all of us, husband, wives and children alike. I am not afraid of, or feel threatened by wives who are younger or more beautiful or less difficult than I am, or more fruitful or better cooks or keener seamstresses or more intelligent or more exciting. Honestly, I think it will be much more difficult for my husband to be the husband of many wives than it will be for me to be one wife amongst many. I do have some ideas, obviously, about what would be concerning and what would be preferable for me as one of many. Have a look at the respective articles Preferences and Concerns. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Gal 5:19-23) |
