For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Ephesians 5:25-33

Dear God, I think (I would certainly hope) I am better at this than I used to be. It’s amazing how my relationship with my wife impacts both of our lives. I mean, it’s kind of obvious that it would, but what I’ve noticed is that the more I follow these verses the more I tend to get from the relationship because I learn from her and she makes me better.

I was actually talking with a friend yesterday about some of the things that I’ve learned from my wife. One of the examples I gave is that she is great at getting people to open up and share. She has always been a great listener. As a journalist, she has really trained herself to draw people out. My ability to recognize this in her as a strength has made me better about truly showing interest in others (now, if I could just remember their names!). If I didn’t have this attitude of respect and service towards her then my arrogance would likely destroy any chance I have at being positively impacted by who she is.

Father, I don’t want to lie to myself and think that I have arrived when it comes to loving this woman, your daughter, to your standard. I’m sorry to you and to her for when I fail her. I don’t mean to. Help me to have open eyes and to love her in the way you want her to be loved. Do it for her sake, and for mine as well.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen