Books, Love and Marriage

My grandparents used to read books together. My grandmother would read it out loud and my grandfather would listen. They have gone through many books like this and it has always been very enjoyable for me to watch them. John and I are reading the book Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas together. John reads it out loud and I listen. I think reading a book together with him is one of my favorite things to do. Yesterday we were sitting outside on the balcony, enjoying the cool of the evening and John read a chapter about how loving God is closely tied together with loving one’s spouse.

Here is a thought from Dr. Barger quoted by Gary Thomas:

Consider the virtues I have recommended as necessary to a deep relation with your wife: patience, listening, humility, service, and faithful tender love. I hope it is not heretical for me to claim that in his dealings with us, God acts in many ways like a woman. Women are capable of and sometimes commit magnificent acts that manifest incredible power and awaken in us men a profound awe... Yet when they love, they love quietly; they speak, as it were in whispers, and we have to listen carefully, attentively, to hear their words of love and to know them. Isn’t God also this way? … The virtues necessary in truly loving a woman and having that love returned – the virtues of listening, patience, humility, service, and faithful love – are the very virtues necessary for us to love God and to feel his love returned.

The author then continues with saying that he believes the same principle is true for women. I liked these thoughts and for me it adds a richness to marriage, that non-believers cannot have. Not only loving and learning to love my spouse but also loving and learning to love God through my spouse.

After we were finished with the chapter John was sharing some of his thoughts about what we read. As I was looking at him, my heart was overflowing with thankfulness to have a husband like him and a God like I do.

I look forward to the next chapter.