Linda Buishas
When asked about her views on marriage, 10-year-old Kirsten unhesitatingly replied, “No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with.”
Funny! Certainly, if we want a marriage “made in Heaven,” who better than God to decide for us! But even if we lacked Kirsten’s point of view when we met our one-and-only, I’m sure many will agree that whenever we rely on God to guide us in our marriage, feeling “stuck” never enters our minds.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gave instructions for a Christian marriage and told us that marriage represents Christ’s love for His church. It might seem that to love as Christ loves is nothing short of a miracle. However, isn’t it true that as we grow in understanding of the depth of Christ’s sacrificial love for us, we can also begin to understand He has given us the ability to love one another as He has loved us?
I’ve heard it said that a good husband asks God to always take care of his wife for him, but a godly husband knows that she already belongs to God, and her husband has the privilege of having her placed in his care. Paul tells us that a godly husband loves his wife as his own body, and in loving his wife, he loves himself.
I like to think that in his wife’s eyes, a husband sees a reflection of his highest self. Proverbs tells us that a loving wife’s value is more precious than jewels, her worth far above rubies or pearls. She wishes only good for her husband. She is wise and kind and loves her husband without reservation, trusts him, and puts his care first.
We find joy in that sacred oneness God intended when we give His kind of love, a love that never fails. Blessed are we who, with God as our partner, have and are still creating wonderful lives together as husbands and wives, according to God’s design. Blessed are we who have discovered that the more we make God number one in our lives, the more blessed our lives are together, and that just as Christ gave us eternal life, a God-centered marriage can produce an eternal love.
May we always allow the love God has for us and we for our husbands and wives shine brightly. May we love our husbands and wives with an irresistible, unwavering tenderness and kindness. With God as our partner, we have the great privilege of showing the world what a lasting, fruitful, and loving marriage can be and to be an example of Christ’s selfless and unconditional love for His church.
To all my married friends, delighting others with your joy in one another, the next time someone asks what’s the secret to your long, happy union, tell them God has blessed you with an Ephesians 5 marriage.