And her hand was soft and trembly
That night underneath the tree,
When I couldn’t help but tell her
She was ‘all the world to me.'”
–Charles “Badger” Clark (“A Bad Half Hour”)
“Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it, if a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised.”
–Song of Solomon 8:7 (NKJV)
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“Have I told you lately that I love you?
Could I tell you once again somehow?
Have I said with all my heart and soul how I adore you?
Well darling, I’m telling you now.
“My world would end without a mem’ry of you,
I’m no good without you anyhow.
Oh, have I told you lately that I love you?
My darling, I’m telling you now.”
–Scotty Wiseman (released by Gene Autry)
A little mushy? Perhaps, but it was my wedding day 53 years ago. Whoopee, my mercy–the years. If you miss Miles today, don’t fret, I’m sure he’ll show up sometime this week, but today I need/must focus on our anniversary. I am reminded this day of the words from Genesis 2:18, “And that LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.'” (NKJV) The King James renders this, “I will make him a help meet for him.” However, I really like how the NLT translates this phrase, “I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
For sure, Annie was made just right for me. No other person could have put up with me and she has definitely been my helper. By my side each step of the journey. The NKJV Study Bibles states this regarding the helper, “This helper (or partner) would be truly fitting and fully adequate–just right.” It is not a demeaning term, in fact the Study Bibles goes on to relate that this term is used to describe God when He comes to our aid. Man cannot fully be man, woman cannot fully be woman without this relationship for the previous phrase states that “It is not good for man to be alone.” This verse is more than just friendship; it goes way beyond that concept. If we grasp the idea of the husband/wife relationship it is as if God Himself were there helping, guiding, advising, aiding through life.
I read an article (sometimes I wonder where these guys come from) that stated that it is not love that sustains a marriage. I get the drift of where the author was coming from, but he is missing something very important regarding love. Love (agape) which is God-love already has commitment within the context. It was love that kept Christ on the cross–commitment to you and to me. Within agape there is commitment, as well as duty and obligation. Jesus said if you love Me you’ll keep my commandments (John 14:15; 15:10; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 6). Also true, though to a lesser degree is the love (phileo) of a friend or brother. Commitment is implied with that type of love as well.
The husband is to love as Christ loved the Church. Love–commitment, obligation, duty–to his wife. And the wife is to obey (whoops) her husband, because of the same reason–love. They do not collide, they do not oppose each other. Love/commitment work together in the relationship of husband and wife. One finds it hard to obey if the husband is not committed to love them and take care of their needs, not just physical and material, but emotional, mental, and spiritual as well. The same is true for the husband must know that his wife is with him through this rugged thing we call life.
It was now over 54 years ago, in the school cafeteria I was glancing around and saw his pretty young gal cocking her eye at me. My eyes stopped their wandering and I cocked an eye back at her. We sat for a few seconds, cock-eyed as could be–the rest is history. No, we haven’t gone through life cock-eyed, or ever half-cocked, but with dedication to each other and to the Lord. How many more years are left? The Lord only knows, but we’ll make the most of them–together!