“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it”
Men we need to step it up….
I was saved around 16 years of age, yet had many ups and downs throughout my walk with God. I’ve never considered myself a bad person. I don't do drugs, I don't drink, and I don't engage myself in other forms of “bad things,” but I am guilty of putting God at the lowest of my priorities. This is especially true when my life took a turn for the worst, hurting both myself and my family further.
I have never felt the need to share my testimony before, however today I feel lead to. I pray my journey will help someone else along the way…
A little over 10 years ago, I stood patiently at the front of an old, small church, waiting for my bride to reveal herself in the front entry way. The doors opened and there she stood, so beautiful. She was perfect in my eyes. As she began to walk up the aisle, her pure beauty and presence stole my attention. My eyes would not leave her, and I could not stop smiling. Everything was in place, and nothing could dampen our parade.
Before we knew it, one full year had already come and gone. Marriage, we soon found out, was tough. I allowed life to get in the way, and lost sight of the most import aspect of our relationship, Jesus Christ. I stopped going to church and reading my bible. Pretty soon, I began to turn away from God at every point in my life, one by one. In doing this, she did to. My marriage and my perfect bride became less and less perfect in my eyes. I began to see every flaw, every scar. As the situation worsened, we both began to focus on every little scratch that we caused one another.
Seven years later, we brought four children into the world, and no solutions. The daily hustle and bustle stole focus from our relationship, and we slipped further away from one another. At this point the devil had us right where he wanted us: Kids who have parents that don't love one another, and parents who have no daily walk with God, even though they claim to be Christians.
For the next few years, the devil seeped in more and more, tearing our family apart. What may have appeared okay on the outside, was not. Last year, we came inches from divorce. Yet, when at the end of my rope, I once again reached out to God. He became my last resort, when he should have been the first. I began reading my Bible, praying, and attending church again regularly. In doing so, so did she. Together, we chose love.
Now, almost a year later, God is truly at the center of or marriage. The work He has done is amazing. Out of rubble, He has created life. I actually have more respect and love for my bride than ever before, and I have to thank God for that. Through His strength, I stuck through the battle, choosing love when there seemed to be nothing. He fixed our marriage and our family. He has already saved one of our four children, and another is drawing closer and closer.
The reason I had a wife that didn’t love me and a family that was being destroyed, was all based off of my walk (or lack thereof) with God. I was not being the husband God called me to be. Even now, this is still hard to grasp, but is very true. Once you say “I do,” husbands are given the power to influence their marriages for good or for evil. True love comes from being as Christ, and loving her everyday as if she is as perfect as day she walked down the aisle. No flaws, scars, or scratches… Nothing but beauty. If we as husbands would simply love (action) as Christ loves his church, we would have strong families, and be examples of what God intended a marriage to be.
My wife and I almost let the devil destroy our marriage, and though she has her own shortcomings to deal with, I must take blame as the husband. I was not loving as Christ loved his Church. It took trials, failure, destruction, and hard choices to get where we are today, but in the end God took something that appeared to be dead and ended up making it better than before. As husband and wife, we take every new day as the next step in God's will for our lives. God has truly blessed me with my perfect mate.
Thank you, God, for my wife and my four beautiful children. Be with me as I try to lead them and provide for them in the ways you have me to do so.
