Welcome to Marriage Monday!

A collection of young men and women filled rows 23 and 22 on my flight to Denver last week. I was traveling to meet The MOM Initiative team for a retreat of praying, planning, and fun. I don’t take time away from home lightly, because I want to do my husband good and not evil all of our lives; I want him to fully trust in me. (Proverbs 31:11-12).

But in the rows before me, there were nine women and two men to be exact … with one unfortunate soul sandwiched in their midst. At first it was all laughter and excitement in anticipation of their weekend winter wonderland, but as the plane rose in elevation, so did the volume and boldness of conversation.  I began to learn about their jobs, friends, and relationships … without even asking. Several were married. Several had been married. All were flirting.

The smooth talking fellow in seat C charmed the crowd so much that the flight attendant clearly wished their was an empty seat beside him.  As the alcohol began to flow, questions and admissions did too.  The attention turned to tall, dark, and handsome in front of me as one of the young women pointed out how she thought he was so sensitive and loving when she heard him telling his wife and little girl goodbye before we took off;   he laughed and talked about what it takes to “make the wife happy.” I wondered what the young wife at home and the husbands of the young wives in seats A and B were doing at home and if they full trusted in their spouses at 10,000 feet.

As the flight attendant turned to deliver another round of drinks, the conversation also turned. “What do you want in your next husband?” They agreed that “we” marry the first time for love, but it only makes sense to marry the second time for children and the third time for money.  They all laughed about their current partners, those already left behind, and those they hoped to meet. I tried to imagine the faces of the husbands at home.  Even in the Economy section on the way to ski with girlfriends … an excellent wife knows “The heart of her husband trusts in her,  and he will have no lack of gain.She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life” (Prov. 31:11-12).

I prayed for the wife of the man in seat C of row 23.  She has heartache ahead.  And the husbands who married for love and were left home for the weekend … they have heartache ahead too.  God’s design for one husband to have one wife provides safety, security, permanence, health, and joy. He uses this “one woman man” idea as a standard for spiritual leaders (1 Timothy 3:2,12).

Those beautiful young women and handsome young men had tickets with a destination “Denver,” but they are really headed for emptiness, grief, fear, and pain. Only God can intervene and reroute them.

How to love your man when you’re apart

1. Honor your husband every place you are
2. Be truthful about your life
3. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and nothing else
4. Act like a wife everywhere & with everyone
5. Ask God to make you faithful & obey

What do others hear when they sit in the row behind me or you? If they stand in line behind us at Target? If they sit beside us at Starbucks? On a field trip?  On Facebook?

Can your husband trust fully in you, and are you doing him good all of your life, even when you’re apart? I’ll be flying home tomorrow night and Jeff will be there to pick me up. Acting like a wife at 10,000 feet gives me the freedom to look forward to a sweet reunion!

What good will it do in your marriage if you honor your husband with your words while you’re apart?