A portrait of godly marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33), part two
Thanks for once again stopping by this space and reading my thoughts. This is part two of what a godly marriage should look like. I am by no means an authority on the subject, but I do like thinking about it.
First, the verses, and then I will hopefully expound upon it.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
One thing about Paul's letters is they are incredibly dense at times. His sentences are structured in a more complex way than much of the Bible. They just seem to keep going on and on with added levels of "holy moley, man, slow down." He was clearly highly educated. We all know God created man and woman to be one. We see that starting with Adam and Eve. It's hard to go through life alone, which is part of the reason I'd like to be married again someday. Not because I'm lazy. I am a little bit. But because I have a lot to give. I would love to love the woman God gives me to love. Say that fast five times. Haha.
Notice the order of a godly marriage: It's God, the man, the woman, and then children. Without God at the head, it suffers. It suffers even more without the man as the head, as well. And the man and woman are over the children. A marriage that is out of order sets the rest of it out of order, but not nearly as much as the man's relationship with God. If that is missing or damaged, then it really throws things out of whack. So, yes, the woman must be submissive, but the man must also submit to God. (And the children submit to all of the above.) In essence, the husband/father is a representative of Christ for the family. So many people who have issues with their dads also have issues with God. It's hard to trust God when you had a crappy dad. Take it from me. The man is also responsible for the spiritual upbringing of his family. Whether he takes them to church or has church at home, it's all the same. He makes that decision. It's on him.
Notice how the husband should love his wife. As himself. As Christ loves the church and gave Himself for it. That is sorely missing in many marriages. I vow to love like that, should God ever bless me with the opportunity to remarry. And a woman can and should voice her opinion because she has a brain and God gave her that brain for a reason. It's not so she should hide her thoughts. She's a helpmeet. How can she help if she doesn't offer help? Let's face it; some fellas need help sometimes (thumbs to chest). Accept her help, guy. That's why God gave her to you. You don't have to do everything yourself. Her insight is very valuable and for the good of the cause. Don't be stubborn. Don't be hard toward her. Don't be proud. Listen to her. Girls, if he won't listen to your insight, let it go. Don't nag. Don't remind him of his failure later when it turns disastrous. Trust me, he'll remember what you said. If he continues on in error, just pray for him. It's not your job to straighten him out. God can do that better than you ever will. But, let me clarify: you can’t tell him what to do, but you can help him see the options clearly.
So many times you hear men or women talk poorly about their significant other. It's ugly. No one is perfect. But, together, as we're meant to be, we are stronger. Work together. Don't talk about one another in a gross way. God gave you that person to love and cherish. If there are problems, get them out in the open with them, not someone else. Talk about it. Go to a counselor or pastor if you need to, but don't let it fester or drive a wedge between you. Be open and honest. Hiding your thoughts won't help in the long run, though it may give temporary peace. An ounce of prevention and all that. Take time now to talk to save a lot of hurt later.
I don't know why I'm writing all of this. Well, I am in love with a woman. But, I also want my son to choose correctly. Choose the right woman. She'll make your life easier and will be a healing balm all your days. I pray he stays close to God and chooses a godly woman. I pray that for myself, as well, and, I believe, I have.
***
As you may have noticed, I don’t have a whole lot of original stuff to say anymore, so perhaps it’s time to say goodnight to this blog or at least send it on a hiatus. At the end of the day, it doesn’t belong to me, so we’ll see what the Lord says. I have one finished post and another I’d like to write about old advertising, which I’m sure sounds fascinating. I may have more time on my hands now so may come up with something exciting to write. I always said I wanted to finish this blog with a photo of me and Cindy. Just in case, here is a photo of us together (relax, I know we aren't together, but that night was a dream come true for me). For the record, she told me she can’t move forward with our friendship at the moment. And I told her I would wait. Indeed, I already have. Just knowing I’m her friend is something to be grateful for. I’ll pray about continuing the blog. (Maybe it’s just time for a shifting of gears.) The world is increasingly weird. I need to spend more time in prayer. Right now, I want to live my life, enjoy God’s blessings, and be happy. Amen? Take care, everyone.
There was a tremendous breakthrough in my walk with God recently. I’m excited to see what comes of that! In other news, I named my new plant Señor Plant because no one was helping me name him. Maybe I'll write a post about him.
As always …
Thank you for reading. And God bless.
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