Yesterday, Kristi and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary! I am so thankful that the LORD has seen fit to give to me Kristi as my wife. I am praying that the LORD give us many more years together. The bible says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing. I have definitely found a good thing in my wife, Kristi. I pray that I can continue to strive to be the godly man that a godly woman deserves. I fail and fall short, but continue to strive, by God's grace, to be like Christ.
Now, the statistics say that the first 7 years of marriage are the most difficult and the time frame in which most divorces happen. Well, we made it through to the 8 year mark and are still going strong. The reason for that is grace. We have had 8 years of grace. Let me tell you, if it was all dependant upon me to hold my marriage together, it would have ended a long time ago. I will mess things up very quickly if it's up to me. I know that Kristi would say the same thing. Neither one of us have the ability, in and of ourselves, to make anything work, let alone something as significant as a marriage. The reason that our marriage stands stronger 8 years later than it was the 1st year is that we have made Jesus Christ the Lord of our marriage. You see, we recognize the fact that our marriage, although it is a blessing and has brought us much joy, is ultimately not for us. Our marriage is for God and His glory. Ephesians chapter 5 talks all about how husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and that women are to submit to their husbands as to Christ. This is one of the passages in scripture that lays out very clearly what a marriage relationship should look like. But then Paul the Apostle, the writer of Ephesians, says in verse 32 "This mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church". What Paul is basically saying is that our marriages are to illustrate the gospel. God has designed marriage so that it points to Him (as He has designed all things), but even greater than that He has designed it to display the gospel to the watching world. You see mountains, and trees, and rivers and streams are all of God's creation and designed to point us to Him. But none of those things illustrate and display the gospel. The husband loves his wife and gives himself up for her. The wife loves the husband and honors and submits to him. Do you see the picture? In the "drama" that is marriage the husband is playing the role of Christ and the wife is playing the role of the church! How beautiful is that? Kristi and I realize the purpose of our marriage and we recognize that it is not ultimately for our pleasure; although our marriage is VERY pleasurable. Our marriage is to display the gospel. That is why our roles as husbands and our roles as wives are so crucial. What do our roles in our marriages say about the gospel. When the husband will not love His wife and give Himself for her, in spite of ALL of her sins and failures, then our marriage is telling a lie about Christ; that He is not ALL loving and ALL forgiving and has not given His life for us. And when a wife does not submit to her husband's loving and Christlike leadership, then our marriage is telling a lie about the church; that the church doesn't have to submit to Christ; that we can be "independent" and do our own thing. And if the roles are reversed and the husband is submitting to the wife's leadership the picture gets really distorted and we are no longer representing the gospel and our marriages are no longer fulfilling their purpose. God created marriage for His purposes. Kristi and I have resolved that we will seek to honor God with our marriage and display the gospel in our roles and relationship. Now we are sinners and we blow it at times, but we offer the same grace and forgiveness that our LORD has offered to us. So as the husband (playing the role of Christ in this gospel drama) I have a tall order to fill; as do ALL husbands. I would appreciate your prayers in that and will pray for the husbands that I know as often as I think to do so. But as Kristi and I have sought to honor the LORD with our marriage and our family, He has blessed us and we are so happy! We are not a marriage that has survived "for the kids", or out of any other compulsion. Kristi remains my best friend today and there is no one I would rather spend time with than her. I have heard her say the same about me. Nothing good in our marriage has fizzled out and faded away! Only our sin and failures in our roles are fading as time goes by and we grow more in God's grace. All of the good things in our marriage (communication, friendship, intimacy, love, care, concern, commitment, etc.) are increasing and being strengthened with each year!
So here is to my wife! I love you, Kristi and I promise you that I will continue to strive to love you as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her. I will commit myself to growing and being the godly and Christ-like leader that you can joyfully submit to. I promise to pray with you. I promise to read God's word with you. I promise that I will guard our time together and never let anything come between us and hinder our oneness. Here is to 8 amazing years!
~ Issac
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