“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
Ephesians 5:31-33
Ken and I will celebrate our wedding anniversary tomorrow. Over dinner and candlelight, I will be reminded of my goal in marriage: to grow the glory of my husband. Ken may be human and full of faults and shortcomings like us all, but I am committed to be a tool in the Father’s hands to restore my husband to greater heights of reflecting God’s glory. Yes, Ken is fallen — as am I — but he has residual glory because he is made in the image of God. It’s my goal as Ken’s wife to enhance his glory.
Dr. Dan Allender has said, “Marriage is the soil for growing glory. We must see our spouse in light of what they are meant to become, without turning bitter or complacent about who they are.”* Marriage has a task — to grow the glory of the other. Marriage also has a challenge — it is tempting to become bitter or complacent about the distance your spouse is from the glory they ought to exude. Every day we have a choice of either encouraging our partner’s journey toward Christ, or degrading and stripping him or her of splendor as well as obscuring what little glory remains.
The challenge is to delight in, respect and learn from each other — men and women reflect different features of God and we should be on the edge of wonder as we consider the glorious image of our great Creator God reflected — even if ever so dimly — in the life of our spouse. Watch for that today.
Jesus, help me to see my goal in any relationship — I want to join You in helping to grow the glory of the other.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
*Steve Muzio, “The Pastor’s Pen” Church in the Canyon Epistle: Calabasas, CA, September 2005.
