Marriage

05 07 07 A Lily Among Thorns

“Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the maidens.”
(Song of Solomon 2:2)

Sorry guys, my wife is the most beautiful of all the women! I don’t care what you say! She was out of my league when I first laid eyes upon her in choir practice, and 10 years later, I still notice her as she stands out in the crowd! I still ponder that day when I thought to myself, “I’ll never even get a chance to say ‘hello’ to someone that beautiful”! Even with the help of our two young daughters, I didn’t stand a chance. If not for God’s mercy, His grace, and His provision within His imperfect will for us, I still will be incomplete. I thank God every day for His longsuffering toward me and how He has allowed me such a full life with my wife of ten years and the four children we share, as well as the many children and families He has brought to us in ministry (11 children in all, not counting our own).

My question is this: how often do we express our feelings honestly and openly to our spouse? Do we let them know they are still the one? Do we still bring them flowers, just because today is Monday? Do we still bring them their evening tea or make the milk shake just the way they like it (you may have your own favorite!). Are they still the apple of our eye, the lily among thorns wherever we go?

It’s time to go back to the beginning and recall all the effort we put into winning our spouse and stop thinking the work is over. There is still competition out there. If no one else is prowling, Satan sure is. He wants to destroy, kill, and trample our marriage and family. Let’s make sure our spouse knows where we stand, in our thoughts, our words, and our actions! Relationships take time, work, and planning. Nothing worth while comes easy. As we build and strengthen our family’s legacy, let’s never forget the foundation is not the children, but the relationship with our lover---our spouse--- our beloved!

May we say these words more often and live them out:

“O my dove----let me see your face let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely”
(Song of Solomon 2:14)