"Looking Back"

 "Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 4:7 KJV)

  "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 NLT)

 As many of you know, I started this blog back on January 1st in 2010, hoping to make it something that I could just express my thoughts, as it were, out in the open; and hopefully make it something that I was committed to do every morning, without fail. So far, that has been the case; but in these resent days, I have been somewhat weary, feeling as though this might be something that has become something else, which has made me feel as though it might be an idol; or worse, something that I feel in bondage to.

 Nevertheless, I have made a commitment to keep pressing forward, even though there could be an issue, only because it was first and foremost to be about the adventure that God has placed upon my wife and myself; that I would continue doing this, faithfully, as long as we both are here and able!  

 You might be amazed to know how much God has shown me about a husband's role in the marriage relationship. Unfortunately, most of the time I share what God has shown me, it doesn't really go well with the brothers that I try to show it to. Generally, I get the same response, over and over: "My wife can be a sinner too?" or "Eve sinned in the garden also?"   

 As I have said it before and say it again: "Husband's love your wives, just as Christ loved the church!"  If you don't know how that works, it is the same as Christ's love for the church: He loves first! Does He give up on us when we sin and fall short? Absolutely not! He stays committed to love us, even when we do not act as if we love Him, He is always faithful! 

 The wife's love towards her husband is a responding love: the more she is loved, the more she feels loved, and the more she loves back! Does that mean she is perfect? Absolutely not! We all are imperfect, but the wife is the weaker vessel, needing more love and attention than the husband. The husband is called to lead his wife, to be the spiritual leader in the home; making sacrifices in order to put his wife first, as the love of his life! 

 That is really not what a lot of men want to hear, so forgive me for voicing my opinion. However, I have had a lot of time to look back, remembering all of the fights, knowing full well, most of them were my fault and based upon my lack of submitting to the Lord. We have a tendency to do that, now and again, making the head of the household ours, when in reality, it belongs to Jesus...

"For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husband might do. In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered." (1 Peter 3:6-7 NLT)