Love for the Long Haul

I remember watching a 1^st grader enthralled with his new sandals…the ones that light up when you walk in them. Walking down the hall, he was watching the pretty red lights coming from under his feet. And, as he studied the blinking, he never saw the wall that snuck up on him…WHACK! Don’t worry…after shaking his head a couple of times, he walked off, just fine…and still looking at the lights.

We can sometimes be so consumed with our next steps that we forget to lift our eyes and look at the end of the journey. What would mature, godly love look like at the end of the journey? How about in genuine hardship? Here’s a snapshot of genuine love at the end of a journey.

Robertson McQuilkin was the president of a seminary and prominent in his field. However, as his wife Muriel grew worse with Alzheimer’s Disease, he made the decision to leave his position and care for her full time. The following was part of his farewell letter to the constituents of Columbia Bible College

The decision was made, in a way, 42 years ago when I promised to care for Muriel “in sickness and in health…’til death do us part.” So, as a man of my word, integrity has something to do with it. But so does fairness. She has cared for me fully and sacrificially all these years; if I cared for her for the next 40 years I would not be out of her debt.

Duty, however, can be grim and stoic. But there is more: I love Muriel. She is a delight to me—her childlike dependence and confidence in me, her warm love, occasional flashes of that wit I used to relish so, her happy spirit and tough resilience in the face of her continual distressing frustration. I don’t have to care for her. I get to! It is a high honor to care for so wonderful a person.

Not everyone is in a position to leave their job and provide this type of care. However, we are all in a position to provide this type of love. God is at work in us to love our spouse in a way that reflects His own love for us. Thank you, Dr. McQuilkin, for your example.

Now that we’ve looked at the end of the journey, it’s time to return to the steps in front of us. Are you on a path that leads to that end? Are you cultivating the love for your spouse that will withstand such trials? True devotion to your spouse is fruit from true devotion to your Savior. If Dr. McQuilkin’s example provokes you, then pour mightily into your relationship with Christ…in the end, your love for your spouse will smell as sweet as that shared between Robertson and Muriel…to the glory of God.