Husbands are called to love their wives as they love their own bodies. We have discussed the innate superhero qualities that wives exhibit each day and now we go to the superpowers of the men. As men, our role is to lead and provide for our families. We take charge when danger arises (such as when our children spot a bug) or when there is heavy lifting to be done (like helping bring in the groceries).
In all seriousness, God calls us husbands to honor Him in our marriages and in our lives. Few people understand the scope of the covenant we call marriage on their wedding day. However, as the family grows, women often bear the majority of family needs and dramas within the home. They find themselves trapped in the world of diapers, braces, pimples, and puberty. They keep track of who has what lessons or practices. They ensure the clothes are presentable, teeth are brushed, and boo-boos are bandaged.
Therefore, husbands are to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. When my body is tired, I rest it. When my body is in pain, I treat and nurture it. When my body is hungry, I feed it (often with delicious comfort food!) I overlook my body’s flaws and limitations. When I look in the mirror, I still see the strong young man who can face anything.
Translated into practical terms, husbands are to complement their wives. We are the ones our wives turn to when they reach their breaking point. We offer our help, lend a listening ear, and refrain from passing judgment. Just like we care for our bodies when they hurt; when our wives are hurting, we need to shower them with care—there is no one else they need. We absorb the blow when they become overwhelmed after a difficult day. Some nights, we gather the kids and head to McDonald’s to give her a moment of respite. When we gaze into her eyes, we always see the beautiful woman who walked down the aisle and into our embrace.
Let us remember that she often becomes the dumping ground for the challenges life throws at the family. She needs us to be the safe space where she can unload some of the burden when it becomes too much. It is literally our duty to lay down our lives for our wives, primarily because they sacrifice their lives for everyone else. If we fulfill this responsibility, we will be rewarded a thousandfold when we witness the incredible legacy of human beings she has raised, nurtured, guided, disciplined, cared for, and often led to Christ.
God Bless You
21 [o]and be subject to one another in the [p]fear of Christ.
Marriage Like Christ and the Church
22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church [q]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she [r]respects her husband.
Walking With God 