The Reluctant Groom or the Servant Leader



Many of our friends have received the above "Save the date" e-mailer. While most of our friends had nice things to say about how artistic, sweet and natural this shot is, something interesting came across my mind as i was sending out this to some of my friends. Just for the record, this shot was taken without our knowledge while Hsing and I were taking a 'romantic' walk down the beach at Ku De Ta (yes, the original one which is in Bali & double yes, we do have our romantic moments).

The picture was really a convenient and appropriate choice to use as a emailer to save the dates. But from a humorous angle, it does look kinda funny. It looks as if I am being dragged into the marriage as a 'reluctant' groom. Beware of the bridezilla! I didn't even have time to put on my flip flops!

A dear friend commented "how come it's Hsing who is in front of me and doing the 'leading'?" I am putting this on record again, this shot was ad-hoc! This shot was literally taken behind our backs! While God's plans for man to lead in his home and the wife to follow his leadership is pretty clear, the essence of the command cannot be taken at face value. The man needs to lead with love and all decisions need to be made out of respect for each other and with the other party's best interest at heart. If they cannot reach an agreement, the woman will submit to the husband's opinion BUT that decision needs to be based heavily on the interests and needs of the wife. Effective leadership may not necessarily need to be instructive. More often than not, effective leadership involves creating an environment which is conducive for the wife to be submissive. A servant leader is the most effective by...well...serving. Now tell me...why can't she be leading my walk down the beach while I lead her in her walk with our Lord? :p