01.23.03

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own 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 the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. - Ephesians 5:22-33.

Today is my 33rd wedding anniversary and we have enjoyed always being in complete agreement about everything. We’ve never argued or raised our voices with each other. Everything my wife does always pleases me and everything I have done has always pleased my wife. Those of you who are married or have been married know that there is no way that any of the above could possibly be true. The only thing true in the statement is that today is our 33rd wedding anniversary.

We were both 19 years old when we married and as happens in some marriages Jeanie was more mature than I was. In addition, she was a Christian and I was not at the beginning of our marriage. My only act of physical abuse toward my wife took place in the first two weeks of marriage. She had said something I didn’t like and I wanted her to take it back. She refused. If I had not found the Lord our marriage would not have had a chance. Two months after we married I came to know Jesus as my Savior and He began to change me into someone Jeanie could stand to spend her life with.

Without the Lord, marriage can bring out the very worst in people. The most recent example is that of Clara Harris running over her husband whom she thought was having an affair. And husbands with the Super Bowl being next Sunday it might be a good time to be extra sensitive to the needs of your wives. After all they have suffered through months of football to this point and some wives do snap. In 1994 when Marlene Lenick’s husband announced that he wanted to watch yet another football game - she shot him.

For any marriage to succeed it requires a radical commitment to marriage. If the husband and wife actually know Jesus as their Savior it does improve the chances of their marriage surviving. In addition, if we will have the attitude the apostle Paul says for husbands and wives to have toward each other it virtually guarantees the success of the marriage. But one thing is for sure and that is that marriage is not for wimps!