I just wanted to be heard. Is that really too much to ask? For once in my life, I just wanted to have to share what I have been through and all of my junk… and she wanted nothing to do with it.
It’s not too much to ask for, is it? What about all my problems?
My bad day…
Job going bad…
Friends being weird…
This is not what I planned for…
My past…
Oh sure, I HAD to listen to her, but why wouldn’t she listen to me?
Classic story, right men? Often times it seems as if we have to listen, a lot, and our wives, not so much.
Here is the truth, our marriages are supposed to reflect the relationship that Jesus has with his bride. Some would even say that they DO reflect it. Now I know, I know – how can we truly reflect something that is impossible to reach? After all, we are not Jesus. We are not perfect. We can’t truly love and cherish our wives like He does the church.
That command is not an excuse. Nor a crutch. We are not exempt from attempting at what the gospel declares.
Picture this: Jesus came to court his bride and did so by washing her with His Word.
He gave up His glory for us.
He had to remove His crown for us.
He couldn’t talk to His Father face to face.
He didn’t have the fellowship of the Trinity.
He was not in Heaven.
He was living among sin.
He was being tempted to sin. Continually.
He was not being worshiped like He should.
He had the pressure of the world on Him.
He knew the physical pain that His life was leading to.
He knew the emotional pain that His life was leading to.
He knew the spiritual pain that His life was leading to.
And not once did he complain to His bride.
In fact, he did the opposite.
John 13:4-10 “He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean…”
I know that our first thought is to share our _________ (fill in the blank here) with our wives and tell them how hard our life is, but what our wives really need is for us to just wash their feet.
That’s all, just wash their feet.
For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross (Col. 1:19–20).
Thanks for posting that, John. It really helps to keep things in perspective. it is true that marriage is not all about equal rights, or having your say, but it is about giving of yourself, fully, to the other so that, in doing this, you can share in the joy that is communion with God through each other.
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