Wife of Your Youth

by David Burka

On a sultry Texas Saturday afternoon 10,302 days ago, a sweet little red haired girl with sparkling green eyes and I said "I do" as a congregation of the Lord's people gathered to witness the occasion. That day I entered a covenant relationship before God that I would take her, "for better or worse, in sickness or in health, for richer or poorer, till death do us part". I was reminded of that commitment this weekend as a group of us went to see the new movie, "Fireproof". The basic storyline is that two young people struggle as husband and wife, on the verge of breaking up forever, before they discover that it takes three to make a marriage work: husband and wife unified by a common bond in Jesus Christ.
It seems so simple when you are first married, but after the new wears off and the routine of making a life together starts to take its toll, difficulties can arise. Bud Lambert did an outstanding job this weekend reminding us that we were created by God to be loved. And Bud went on to explain that if we are not in a loving relationship with Him, we have no way to share unconditional love (agape) with our spouse.
Our wedding rings have a scripture engraved inside: 1 John 4:19, which says "We love because He first loved us". That verse is part of a passage Bud read Sunday to emphasize that any capacity we have for loving others comes from God and His love for us.
Let me encourage you to ask your spouse for a date and take him/her to see this wonderful movie. There will be no academy awards given out, but just maybe you will reflect back to the day the "wife of your youth" said "I do", and I guarantee you will hold her a little closer and look a little deeper into her eyes. Proverbs 19:14 "Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD."
I also encourage you to examine your relationship with Jesus and think about the Gospel message He brings to our lives.

• Dynamic Marriages -Nov 27, 2005
• Honoring Your Spouse -Nov 06, 2005
• Preparing for Marriage -Sep 11, 2005
• Marriage: God's Definition -Mar 22, 2005
• Why the Attack on Marriage? -Jul 18, 2004