BY THE WAY, I LOVE YOU!”

 By Michael L. Alumbaugh © 2024

“Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves eyes.” ~ Song of Solomon 1:15

My Bride of 40+ years and I were doing some last minute grocery shopping in the late afternoon one day in mid-February. As we wandered through the store we observed men, mostly young to middle-aged, hustling and bustling up one isle and down another. As we passed by the nearly customer packed floral department, it finally occurred to us what was going on. It was the evening of the 14^th_, Valentine’s Day!

The department staff looked a bit frazzled as they assisted all these men with their bouquet selection. The stock was dwindling rapidly! There wasn’t a man there that looked starry eyed or even joyful at the opportunity to embrace a loving present proclaiming their love and devotion to their  “significant other.” It was like “Let’s getter done and get out’a here!” or “Hey, that’ll do. Just hand it over!”

We had to laugh as we left the area. Thankfully I’d gotten something for my wife a day or two before and had presented it to her at breakfast, as was my custom. Sometimes I’d even give her something the day before, especially if an event were included for the “day of.”

I felt a bit sad for the guys out there.. We men do get a bit busy with the day to day work grind and forget things, even important things. But it seemed to me, this wasn’t a priority with most them judging by the expressions on their faces. It was just a duty to perform to fill in the blank, and very little if any heart in it. They appeared to be about as romantic, or impassioned toward their wives as a sore toe. Like they’re saying, “Oh, by the way, I love you!” and off they go to something else, leaving her in the dust.

What they seemed to lack was devotion, or a heart of genuine gratitude toward their life partners, better known as their Brides.    It isn’t an unusual problem but rather a rather common one that goes back thousands of years. In the years following Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 points out this weakness by reflecting it against Jesus’ commitment to all of us. It reads;

 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27

Proverbs 18:22 says, “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.” Now, that strikes me as a strong motive for thinking ahead! But it begs the question: What do you treasure? Does she see it in you on a daily basis or just occasionally when your back is up against the wall?

We might need to rethink our commitment to our eternal Father in the same way. Do we treasure things more than our relationship with Him? He left the glory of heaven, became and man, and died for your sins (Philippians 2:5-8). Or do we just warm the pews on Sunday or Easter and Christmas as our way of saying "By the way, I love you!"?

Are you doing the same thing to your spouse or willing to show your love to them moment by moment, day in and day out?

     Dig a Little Deeper: Song of Solomon 4:7, 5:12; Malachi 2:13-15; 1 Peter 3:7

Published in the March 2024 issue of Black River Times