Friday, September 29, 2017

MY WIFE, MY FRIEND AND HELPER





Before I married Anita, the pastor offered me a warning that I've never forgotten:

·       Your wife is not your enemy. Even when you are tempted to think this way, you must remember that she is not your enemy but instead, your best friend.

This bit of wisdom has become very important to me. Why? Because it sometimes feels as if she is my enemy, and our feelings can be a stubborn misquito.

What then do we do when our feelings are speaking persuasively? We meditate on something that is even more persuasive - the very words of God. I have found that only these words are capable of silencing the demands of my feelings. Take these precious verses:

·       In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.(Ephesians 5:28-30 ESV)

What a blessed reminder. My wife is not my enemy but my appendage, a part of me. When I get upset with her, it's like getting upset with my own leg for not performing according to my expectations. How foolish and unproductive! I don't berate or beat my leg.

Instead, if it doesn't perform up to expectation, I accept my leg anyway, knowing that my Lord even has a purpose for my bum knee. I don't spend my day thinking, "How I resent you, my leg."

Instead, I "nourish and cherish it." How much more must I do so with my wife! I must love and cherish her as Christ does for His Body, the Church, even to the point of sacrificing Himself for His bride.

When I fail to love my own bride in this manner, I despise the grace of Christ who died for me while I was his enemy (Romans 5:8-10). However, my wife is not my enemy but a friend and a blessed gift and flower to nourish.

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