Abby and Eason,
This is the last letter I am planning to write about marriage (at least for now). But, I think it is really important. Who knows, you might need to remind me about it one day, but I really hope you don’t.
I am not going to go into tons of detail about the two topics I want to write about in this letter. The topics are laid out beautifully in scripture. But, I want to remind you of two last things before closing out the letters I am writing on marriage. (At least the ones right now… I have a feeling I will come back to this topic many times).
Here are the topics:
- The husband and the wife’s role in marriage
- The role of the extended family in marriage
The Bible has a lot to say about the role of the husband and the wife. I encourage you to look up all of those scriptures and study them. God has a plan for our lives, and we can trust that marriages where husbands and wives reside in the roles God created for them will be the best marriages.
With that, I will point you to just two scriptures: 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5:25. These scriptures talk about how Christ is the head of the man, the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. Husbands are exhorted to show their wives the unconditional love of Jesus and the sacrifice that He demonstrated.
Abby, this means you can relax. Your spouse is designed to lead you. He is designed to love you. He is designed to sacrifice for you. It does not mean that he is more important than you or you are second class to him. It means that he gets to show you the love that Jesus has shown him. He gets to demonstrate the loving kindness of Jesus to you. He gets to share some of the love that overflows from his relationship with Jesus with you.
And, Eason, you are not alone, ever. Christ is your head, and God is the head of Christ. You don’t have to know how to lead. He will show you. You don’t have to know how to love well. He will teach you. You don’t have to know how to sacrifice unconditionally, He will remind you of how He has sacrificed for you. Christ will lead you, surround you, and comfort you. And, as you mirror what Jesus is doing in your life to your wife, your wife will be your helper. She will show you respect. She will submit to your leadership. You are surrounded above and below.
You’ve heard this a lot in these letters, but seek Jesus. You can’t fill these roles without His help. He wants to help you.
And, in topic two – Genesis 2:24, NASB. (You saw this in an earlier letter). But in this letter, I want to focus on the beginning of the verse. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
I will be here to encourage you in your marriage. You and your spouse will become one flesh. You will seek Jesus together. My role is to remind you to seek Jesus. You will always have my love and my support. It’s not my role to get overly involved. It is my role to encourage you to seek Jesus together – you and your spouse.
I love you so much!
Mom