The Beauty of One

I'm leaving tomorrow night to go away with my sis for a few days. I'm thrilled - three whole days to just relax and hang with my sister. We're really looking forward to some uninterrupted time to catch up on each other's lives.

But this morning it hit me - I already miss my husband. This is four days and three nights we'll be apart . . . the longest since we've been married! There's a funny little ache in my heart that surprised me this morning. But then I smiled as I realized this is exactly the way it should be. It's the beauty of oneness that we increasingly share.

As I look back to the early days of our marriage, I remember the silly things we fought over. He, being the anti-botulism guy that he is, likes the dishpan completely emptied and cleaned out before we went to bed. I grew up "saving dishwater," for we never knew when the cistern would run dry. A dishpan full of dishwater was expected to last us at least a day, topped off with boiling water from the teakettle. (Our plates were practically wiped clean before they ever hit the dishpan, so this is not as gross as it sounds). Nevertheless, my husband did not appreciate or see a need for such frugality (and in this case, it was more of a lazy habit)! To his credit, he never once demanded that I clean the dishpan. Instead he would go through his noisy little ritual each night, banging the sink strainer into the garbage can and rinsing the dishpan and sink. You'd think I'd be grateful but, no, instead I'd let myself get all offended. I can't tell you how many nights I went to bed in a tizzy over such little things.

Fast-forward nine years. Most nights, I actually remember to empty the dishpan, clean the strainer and even scrub the sink to a shiny perfection. It really is nice to get up to a clean sink and empty dishpan! Occasionally, I'll hear that familiar banging and clanging, and I just smile. I’m not offended and I don't take it as a hit on my housekeeping skills. I know it's my husband's way of saying he doesn't expect me to do everything.

I could give many more examples but this is the picture: it's the beauty of becoming one as God intended. When my husband hurts, I hurt. When I'm sad, he's sad. We rejoice in each other's joys and victories. Our hearts are knit together more and more each day. We're by no means near where we should be but we're moving in the right direction, becoming one.

I love this gift called marriage that God has bestowed upon us. In it, I see God's great intention for us, his bride, to become one with Christ. He longs for me to spend time in his word, getting to know the mind of Christ. And that's my desire as well. It's the beauty of one.