Ephesians 5:25 - "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her".
There has been a picture going around online that shows a picture of a grumpy old man - with his back turned to his equally grumpy old wife, and he's holding an umbrella over her head in the rain, even though he doesn't seem happy about it. I've seen the picture with captions, but the one that stick out the most to me was "You can be mad at her, but always love her".
Many of you guys out there are probably smiling (or is that a smirk?) as you read this. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Your wife has nagged you about the laundry. She has pointed out the fact that while she was out shopping, you failed to empty the garbage. I could give you thirty examples (nothing from MY beautiful bride, of course. Just totally fictional excuses.. right, honey?) about how your wife has gotten on your nerves.
But what do they all have in common?
Whether you know she is right, or if you think she is wrong, they drive you crazy.
But what else do they have in common?
No matter how much she drives you crazy, you always come back for more. Why is that?
Just like the old guy in the picture, no matter how much she drives him crazy, he loves her. And not just the way Hallmark tells us to love her, but the never-ending, unconditional type of love. The love that tells you that no matter how crazy that woman is, I will never, ever be happier than what I am with her by my side. The type of love that makes you look into the eyes of your children and you thank God for allowing her and them to come into your life, because nothing make you happier than knowing that after a long day, you get to come home to her and them (even if there is an overflowing pile of dishes waiting for you).
That type of love is irreplaceable. No matter what happens, you love her. You love her unconditionally, and you always will.
That's not a worldly love that comes and goes as it pleases. Even when this old man is getting rained on, and even though he is upset with her, he will hold that umbrella above her because he loves and respects her. Forever. No matter how crazy she is.
That's a Godly love right there, gentlemen. That's the same love that God exhibited when He sent his own son to die on the cross to save us from our own sins. That love is undeniable.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful".
It sounds to me that Love is a serious thing.
So, the next time you start piling up a list of things that your wife does that drives you crazy, remember that this is the woman that God put into your life to support and love you.
And if that isn't enough, remember that for every one of those things that she does, she can probably provide a list twice the size of yours that you do that drives her crazy.
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