Are You Rejoicing in the Wife of Your Youth?

Are you rejoicing?  Are you truly rejoicing??  Proverbs 5:18 tells us to "rejoice in the wife of thy youth".  Obviously, this verse is addressing men, but I think it applies to women as well, especially these days, to rejoice in the husbands of our youth. 

What does this mean?  It means, for starters that we have to be counter-cultural (one of my favorite words!).  Our society idolizes youth, perfection, slimness, and sexuality.  But the reality is, we age.  And I really don't think God wants us to plasticize our bodies to fit in or compete with people much younger than ourselves.  Women age, men age.  Some men get a bit of a belly.  Some women have wrinkles or larger hips or bottoms than when first married. 

I am completely in favor of taking care of oneself, and by no means should we "let ourselves go to pot".  Discipline in diet, if not in exercise, should be a part of our lives even as we age.  However, our spouses are our beloveds for life.  The odds are great that at some point, age will win the battle, and we won't look 20, or 30, or....You get the point.  That is when contentment, love, and commitment should take over. 

Men, so what if your wife doesn't look like that 20-year-old something that is always popping up on your Yahoo page, the billboard, or in front of you in Wal-mart??  Ladies, so what if he leaves his socks on the floor, has a bit of a pot belly, thinning/gray hair, and doesn't primp in the bathroom like the girly-boys of today?  Accept each other for who you are.  Actually, go past acceptance to total embrace of the glorious, aging, un-perfect (aren't we all, even the sex idols?) person you are married to. 

Don't expect your spouse to compete with the shallow, hyper-sexualized, air-blown, self-absorbed, self-idolizing men/women of today.   We shouldn't even indulge our eyes or waste one thought on all of that falseness.   Be content with what you have.  Pray for them in areas you think could use some improvement instead of nagging them about it.  One of the wisest pieces of advice I have read in the past year is to take our complaints about our spouses to God, and take our praises about our spouses straight to our spouses.  I don't think nagging EVER worked to change anybody, male or female. 

Contentment.  It is a marvelous thing.  Wisdom about the foolishness and lies that are today's culture is also a marvelous thing.  Beauty is fleeting.  Relationships built on a solid commitment regardless of looks, and regardless of circumstances, will endure, and these kinds of relationships cultivate contentment.

I just finished the book "The Last Dance but not the Last Song" by Renee Bondi.  She became a quadriplegic while engaged to a very nice young man.  He could have called the wedding off, but after thought and prayer, he committed to the marriage and has been her faithful lover ever since.  Such a wonderful commitment.  She won't ever fit the standard of sexiness of today (and neither will most of us).  However, in spite of that, and with eternal goals in mind, they stayed together and have a marvelous relationship.  Get the book inexpensively from Amazon HERE (Affiliate Link).

Let us all work to be more content in our marriages.  Let us be counter-cultural people who don't care for nor fall for the world's standards or lies.  Let us protect our eyes so that we will super-sensitized to the beauty of our spouses.  Rejoice in the husband of your youth.  Rejoice in the wife of your youth.  Love them for who they are, a glorious beloved one of God.  Be content.

Blessings,
Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs