My Husband

You're like a touch of heaven.
You remind me of God's love.
You guide me to internal peace 
To show that his strength is enough.
You're like a lamppost in the dark
To mark the path on my way home.
You remind me there's always a way
And I'm never alone.
You're like a lookout post
To show me where I am
On this winding path of life,
That I am in His hand.
You're like a dialed gauge
To remind me who I am
Aside from how I see myself.
You show me where I stand.
You're like a railroad track
To keep me on the trail.
You encourage me and lift my heart.
You're assurance never fails.
The way you take my hand
Or look and me and smile,
The way you hold me in your arms
Could bring me through any trial. 
The way you dance with me
Or slip an ice cube down my back,
When you race with me and win,
When we have a beach sand attack--
When you carry me
Or when you listen,
The way you share your thoughts
Shows me great purpose and mission.
We can share hours full of words
Or sit in the silence still.
Your kiss is like a comfort
And sometimes a great thrill.
I could still say more
But I'd run out of time.
Thank you for being who God made you,
For being gentle and being kind.
Thank you for letting me be myself
And thank you for caring for me.
No matter where I go right now
You're where my heart will be.

Day 31

I share this poem I wrote for my husband because our spouses are so important to our walk with Christ. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” The metaphor the Apostle Paul is using is that of two oxen yoked together to pull a plow or perhaps a cart. If they are not yoked evenly, then one will begin to pull the other to the side, forcing the other to work harder to stay on the path, or worse yet, forcing the other ox off the path with it altogether. Or say their poor yoking forces one to move slower than the other, which slows the other one down on its progress. What this verse is saying is that a spouse is that important to our lives, our discipleship under Christ and our service to our brothers and sisters and our witness to the world. Fracis Chan, in his book with Lisa Chan, You and Me Forever, writes,

Because I am crazy about Lisa [his wife], I want her to have a great life. But more than that, I want her to have a great eternity. I want her to look back at her life without regret. I want her to be confident that the time she spent on earth prepared her for heaven. Most importantly, I want her to hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master (Matt. 25:23) (10).

Ephesians 5:25-27 says,

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Eve was made to be a fit helper to Adam (Genesis 2:18), and God did not change the role of women today so far as I have heard. Men are partly responsible for the sanctification of their wives, and women are partly responsible for the success of their husbands. We must plow together, stay on path, set the pace and spur one another on. What can you do to encourage your spouse’s faith? What can you respectfully ask your spouse to do to help you run the race? Your marriage is not the end.

If you enjoyed this material, please leave a like or comment on my blog, share, and you can purchase my book, Learning to Love: A Collection of Poetry and 40 Daily Devotions, on Amazon. Until next time, God bless.

Sources

The Bible. English Standard Version, Crossway, 2001.

Chan, Francis and Lisa. You and Me Forever. Claire Love, 2014.