Under Orders

I had a counselling session with a lovely young wife and mother from Central Africa. Her situation was characterised by the fact that her life was completely under orders from the clan -- something one doesn't come across in the West. Her work, her residence, her marriage, her children -- everything was "under orders". It reminded me a little of the life of a monastic order. This way of life was under strain at this point in time because of a husband's errant behaviour. OBSERVATION: This opened the opportunity to ask her what God was doing in her life, whether through the clan or in spite of the clan.