I am glad you stopped by Marriage Monday. You are in for a treat – my first guest 
blogger. And he is none other than my own husband, Jerry. You’ve heard plenty about him from me, now hear from him directly. I am sure you’ll understand more why I love him so. Thanks Jer for sharing your heart and wisdom here.
Awhile back, Joan was remarking about Ephesians 5:21-33. She focused on verse 22 that encourages wives to submit to their husbands. Joan felt it was unfair that she had to submit twice, first to God and then to me.
The passage does talk about wives submitting to their husbands. And we are all admonished to submit to God. In a sense, she is being asked to submit twice.
I suggested she continue reading down to verse 25. Here we read, “husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church.” I reminded Joan that while she had to submit twice, I had to DIE! I emphasized the word die in the most dramatic fashion I could at the time.
I believe that as husbands are called to die. Perhaps physically, but more likely to my own agenda, to my desires, to my career path even, to my calendar. We are called to live our relationship with God as the top priority and our relationship with our wives a very close second. This means that my wife’s growth and well-being are more important than my agenda, my career, my desires.
I am not trying to be a martyr here. But I do want to say that in a world that is self-absorbed, we are called to be other absorbed. For husbands that is how we are called to love our wives.
I’d like to say that because of my disability and the fact that I use a power wheelchair and Joan has chosen to care for many of my physical needs, that I get a pass from dying to myself. But I don’t see that anywhere in Scripture. I’d like to be super successful at my career, run a flourishing business on the side, blog, speak, teach. . . seriously I have thought about all of these things. Not only would that be vanity, but it would not be putting my wife first. I’ve had to die to some of my ambitions to make the time to love my wife and minister to her. It is not easy. It is a death I am called to choose daily.
So, my brothers who are reading this — what is God asking you to die to in order to serve your wife in Jesus’ name?