Written by Chad P.
With everything going on around us it is easy to lose sight of the goal, to be distracted by the pressing, and to trade the precious in your life for something less than permanent. Not having confidence in our ability to evaluate ourselves, I want to ask your wives. What do you think they would say?
If you return home every night to your family you are immediately more faithful than a good percentage of people in this country, but that is not our standard. We are told to love our wives as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:23;28). So just making it home is not the goal. When you get home are you “still working”? Are you able to leave your job at the garage door? Do you long for your “man cave” or to spend time with your family? What would your wife say?
All of us have THE LIST. You know the one… That list of things to get done. If you are even moderately successful at getting through your list, you are doing better than me. It really doesn’t matter if it is yours, your wife’s list for you, or your boss’s. the issue is that it is there. There is always something competing for our time and there will never be enough time. So what’s getting your attention? Loving your wife as Christ loved/s His Church is an enormous task. It will require us to pay attention, which is probably one of the reasons we are told to “fix our eyes on Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 12:2). Are we focused on Christ by knowing and loving our families or are we buried in our iPhones and fixated on football? What would your wife say?
Do you remember when she walked that aisle towards you? When those doors were opened and there she was? Do you remember the feeling when you said “I do”? No one had to convince you she was precious… I’m now a few years into marriage. I am no expert, but I am past those first steps. We are to the “warts and all” part, the “for better or for worse” stuff. I definitely know my wife much better today than I did when she first came through those doors. But knowing the “not polished parts” and going though the difficulties has only made her more precious. That being said, I can be distracted by the weeds in my grass (stop judging me for my less than perfect lawn). The Thunder game (even in December against the Bobcats) can suck an entire evening of my attention. And then there is always something hilarious on Twitter begging for a response (@DeathStarPR gets me every time with stuff like this).
I’m telling you what my wife would say… She would tell you, “Yes, Chad thinks I am precious, but he often forgets”. What would your wife say? Proverbs 5:28 says, “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth…”
