I Love My Wife

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.--Ephesians 5:25

On Valentine’s Day, love is pretty, red, and sweet. Obviously, everybody is in love. Just look around. Love is in the air and, if you haven’t bought your “sweetie” something by now, shame on you. Trouble is your destiny.

Admittedly, I’m not as romantic as I used to be, but I am much deeper in love than I have ever been.

Exactly 17 years ago today, Terri and I boarded a plane in Baton Rouge, LA and headed North to Anchorage, AK. Now, that’s romantic.

The Gulf War was in full-swing. So, airport security was tighter than usual. We were told to be at the airport early and we were. We showed up so early that no one else was there. Security was so intense that Terri and I flew under assumed names, “Kevin” and “Rhonda,” without a problem. We needed cheap tickets. So, when we found an ad in a newspaper selling two one-way tickets to Alaska, we met the real Kevin and Rhonda in a hotel parking lot in McComb, MS to buy the tics from them. You couldn’t do that today. We shouldn’t have done it then.

Our Valentine's Day move to Alaska came only six weeks after being married and barely nine months after having met. On our honeymoon, we spent several days in Anchorage being interviewed by a church and pastor. The first Sunday of 1991, the church, Raspberry Road Baptist Church, voted to call me as Minister of Music and Youth. We accepted the call that day.

There were some many unknowns as we neared our new home. That first night, we fully expected to sleep on the floor, because we had reserved an unfurnished apartment. However, when we arrived, the apartment was fully furnished. The manager had taken unclaimed furniture out of storage and gave it to us, since she knew we were just starting out. God provided then and he continues to provide now.

Our time on the “Last Great Frontier” was one extended honeymoon. We were in Alaska for three and one-half years. Our daughter Abbey was born almost three years after we moved up there. We did so much together amidst the prettiest scenery in the world. We rafted down a river in the shadow of Mount McKinley. We rode the Midnight Express Train from Anchorage to Denali National Park on the glass domed rail cars. We took the Twenty-Six Glacier tour out of Whittier, AK. We flew to the end of the world to see the start of the Alaska Pipeline, literally standing under the mile “0” marker.

Since we had not dated that much before marrying, we made up for lost time. I knew that God put us together, but I did not know how much more I could love her. That’s still true today.
As a pastor, I stay away from home more than I like. With three kids, ages 14, 5, and 3, we don’t have a lot of time together. However, each day I realize Terri is perfect for me. She prays for me and encourages me. She makes me laugh. She loves me. Each year I love her more and more. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us.

Paul charged husbands with a mega-task in Eph. 5:25. He wrote, “Dude, you better get the focus off of you and pour your life into that gal and love her with God’s kind of love just like Jesus did for His church (My paraphrase).” Just a reminder, he died for the church. That kind of love is not represented by roses, chocolate covered cherries, or intimate sleepwear. That kind of love is represented by a cross. I haven’t made it yet, but I’m trying.

I love my wife.