Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Monday February 28, 2011

This spring 2011 a warm day in May will mark the 50th year since I first laid the peepers on one Joyce Gore.

She was as young as the morning and more gorgeous than the spring day. I have never got over her. I think she got over me pretty quick but decided while he is worse than I took him for, we did promise, so I guess. Well you get the idea. Over the 47 years of our marriage, she has taught me well from the scriptures and other areas of her broad knowledge. One of her favorite scripture passages is Eph 5:25:

Husbands,love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The girl taught me that this grand comparison does in fact put a burden on me to put away the "Good Ole Boy" concept in exchange for a Christ like lifestyle and taking on the kind of love Christ has for His church and extending this new, miraculous love to the love of my youth. Joyce does not claim a call to the pastor/teacher roll as laid out in scripture, but when she is tenderly teaching me, she makes Joyce Meyer look wimpish.

The bride of my youth suggests that loving her as Christ loves His bride, simply means that I am to love her with all the exhilaration I had at the beginning when I would stutter and near demonstrate incontinence due to my perceived unworthiness concerning her. I remember the days well. Also, I am to be growing in depth, quality and maturity, while still going ga ga each time she enters a room. The word sacrifice is not in the equation as any action that would appear so, is simply the least I can do because of my Everestesque love for her. She calls this "the love that does not take her for granted."

Further, I am to set her apart (sanctify) for special purposes that honor the Lord, provide the time and resources for her to grow in grace and purity before Jesus.

Verse 27 according to her private translation means what is says and I must never emphasize faults, flaws, wrinkles, age spots or God forbid pounds, but rather the glory of her inner person, thus acknowledging her true self as gorgeous as any Venus of antiquity. She instructs me with scripture and buries me with Shakespeare:

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged with cupid painted blind."
A Midsummer Night's Dream. Act 1.Sc 1.

Veronica, from Australia really thinks that I am a champion in the field of arrogance and Joyce, affectionately known as the Great Blonde must certainly hate living with me. Of course Veronica is correct on both counts. Veronica has no way of knowing that of all the flotilla of suitors seeking the affections of Joyce, the girl has made it known that she chose me out of deep pity. I could not live with this truth, were it not for God given arrogance. Amen.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2011 Use with credit.

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