The best day of life will be arriving 109 days from today.
I know this because September 10, 2011 will be the day that I have the privilege of marrying my best friend (who, incidentally, also happens to be the most beautiful woman in the world).
Abby and I began premarital counseling a few months ago and one thing became apparent really quickly: I need to learn how to love Abby. Up to this point, I’ve done a decent job teaching myself how to care for her–learning her likes and dislikes, providing for her when I can, occasionally buying her gifts or surprising her, taking her on dates, or simply relaxing with her. All these things are important and I love caring for her in these ways, but are they the point of marriage?
In premarital counseling, we have been studying at Ephesians 5:22-33 where Paul gives specific instructions to wives and husbands. To husbands, Paul gave this instruction (v25):
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Christ loved the church by giving his life as a sacrifice for my sins so I could have a relationship with my Creator; as Abby’s (soon-to-be) husband, I must love her the same way.
What does it look like for me to sacrificially love Abby? For one example, it means caring for her even when I don’t feel like it. The days I come home exhausted will be the days I will need to be most intentional about seeking for ways to care for her since my natural tendency would be to seek my own comfort at whatever cost. Constantly pursuing oneness with her above my own “comfort” will likely prove to be a struggle in the coming months.
Regardless, I am excitedly counting down the days until my dearly beloved truly becomes my dearly beloved.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
