As I write this devotion my husband is on my mind. His sixty-third birthday is just two days away. That may not mean much to you, but to me it speaks volumes. To begin with, I am mindful that there have been roughly one billion, nine-hundred eighty-eight million, one-hundred twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred moments in his highly valuable, very unique life. Heaven only knows – God definitely knows–the exact nature of every single thought my husband pondered during those moments. God knows him completely, responds to him wisely and willingly inspires my guy towards what is good and right. God is extremely experienced in reaching out to my husband, far more than I am.
However, I also know my husband quite well. I treasure the times his eyes twinkle as his smile attempts to stifle a laugh when he plays a prank on me. I respect that he listens to me despite a bit of grumbling if I ask him to slow down before we get a ticket. I appreciate his hard work, laughter, and encouragement. Believe it or not, I even cherish him when he corrects me. Correction brings a sense of security I am grateful for even though I do not enjoy being called out on the carpet. It means a lot to me that he cares for me enough to speak the truth in love.
Following the example of Jesus who laid down His life for the church, my husband has put himself between me and harm’s way at times. Besides dealing with the more serious threats, he has rescued me from plenty of spiders, some mice and a large snake that was lurking in a corner of our house. Most importantly, he prays over me if I ask him to when I am struggling, confused, frightened or overly emotional.
Despite the truth that my husband and I love each other deeply, our dedication to each other pales in comparison to God’s unconditional love for us. We have purposed to unite to each other so long as we both shall live, but God’s commitment to each of us will not even stop there. Despite the fact that the
day will come when we no longer have any birthdays or special moments on earth as we know it, God has provided a way that each of us has the opportunity to continue living with Him. It is true that nothing is too hard for God, but of all the creative things Our Lord has done in our universe from day one henceforth,
I know of no other feat that I would deem to be harder for Him than when Jesus gave His life on the cross to pay for our sins.
Sometimes my husband and I blunder our way through conflict. We do not always treat each other in a loving manner. In fact, we do not even always treat other people or God Himself in a loving manner. It’s easy to say, “Oh everyone sins at times.” That’s quite true, but it isn’t so easy to say when we think of the great extent Our Lord went through to free us from the eternal consequences of what we flippantly call blunders, mistakes, or missteps. Just think, God has unconditionally loved my husband for even more than one billion, nine-hundred eighty-eight million, one-hundred twenty-eight thousand, eight-hundred moments and will continue to do so forever. He loves you and me too. So, to my husband I say “Despite the well wishers who tell you to blow out the candles on your cake, keep the flame lit Honey.”