Till We Are Home

Proverbs 31:10 tells us, “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” Maybe it’s because I’m cooped up in a hotel room for several days this week far away from my bride, but I’ve been thinking a lot about her. Tonight, as I have thought about her, this passage came to mind. I truly do believe I found something far more precious than jewels over 20 years ago.

What makes a good marriage? You ask that question to ‘Johnny on the Street’ and you’d get lots of different answers. But, of course, as Christians we should find our answer from the Bible. Paul was pretty clear in his letter to the Ephesians (5:22-33) of some of the elements that make up a good marriage when he told the husbands to lead and the wives to submit, linking these very roles to the image of our Christ and His bride, the church. 

So, think about it…how many of our conflicts in marriage would go away if we followed this biblical pattern of roles? Of headship and submission? Of true love playing out and imaging forth something greater than itself? 

If I lead my wife as Christ leads the church…well, there’s a lot more dying that I need to be doing.

And as the picture of the church, my wife is to come alongside me as I lead and provide help and encouragement and trust. (Thankfully, my wife does.) 

When these roles play out as they should, then how sweet is that marriage? How much more precious is the wife than fine jewelry who sees and plays the helpmate? Oh, and how easy it would be for her to trust her husband to lead as she watches him submit to Christ and die to himself…die so that she may live? 

I love my wife so much. And I’m so thankful for the Lord’s work in her life that she willingly submits as unto the Lord. I’m not perfect, but by God’s grace He’s helping me, too. And that’s another beauty of marriage – none of us are perfect, both continue to be conformed to the image of Christ until their dying day. But, oh the beauty and grace seen in this picture of Christ and His bride when we live life out together to love one another more than we do ourselves, forgive one another knowing we’ve been forgiven much in Christ, and walking in faith with great trust in each other and even greater trust in our Lord.

A marriage like this can sweeten good days together. A marriage like this can weather the storms of hard providence. 

I will continue to sit here and think on these things, think on the lovely bride I have at home that I would much rather be with than this lonely hotel room. She truly is wonderful, and I am so thankful the Lord brought her to me those many years ago.

We aren’t perfect, but Paul told us all that He will bring us to completion in Christ one day (Php 1:6)…until that day, God uses my darling bride to help me die to myself more and He uses me to help her lay down her rights to lead and submit instead. And somehow all this imperfect and broken clay pot thing works out to bring Him glory and image forth to the world a picture of Christ and His bride, the church. 

Till we are home…