Friends For the Journey

A dear friend of mine recently borrowed a book to me to read to my daughters. The Evergreen Wood by Alan and Linda Parry is an adaptation of The Pilgrim's Progress for children.

I read once that The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyon was the second best selling book of all time, after the bible, so I was very excited to read this to them.

As I read the final chapters to them today, I found myself learning a valuable lesson about the importance of perseverance and the role christian friends play in finishing the race. The race, of course, is the life of faith that leads to salvation and eternal life with Christ.

The road is long, the gate narrow. The journey is sometimes difficult, and we easily become lost, finding ourselves in a heap of trouble or danger, not seeing the way out. We need friends in our life who are on the same path as us, going in the same direction, with the same focus and end goal as we have, to support us along the way. We sometimes need encouragement, other times warnings, advice, a helping hand, or a buddy to help navigate the dark waters of life.

As a married woman, the greatest ally I have in my christian walk of faith is my husband, and I, his greatest ally. As I read the pages of this book out loud to my children, my own eyes teared up at the realization of how much I really need my husband, and how much he needs me.

We are companions to each other, partners in building a life and home together, co-parents of our children, partners in ministry, etc. but no greater calling is put upon us than to help the other become all that Christ intended them to be, and to help the other preserve faithfully to the end, where glory and honor and everlasting peace and joy await us both.

In the big picture of our life together, this our calling to each other, our high commitment, our vow - not to leave the other vulnerable to the enemy and jeopardize their faith. I am so thankful that my husband is a lover of Christ, and because he is, I am blessed in so many ways. My husband prays for me and the children everyday. We read the bible together. We try and live our lives in obedience to God the best we know how.

We are sinners, and fallen creatures, just like everyone else, the results of such are sometimes devastating and hurtful. It is sometimes difficult to rise above the problems of the day, but when we do, we are reminded of the vow and the end goal. Amazing forgiveness, patience, and love can be freely given despite the circumstances of the day when the heart, mind, and desires of Christ are also ours.

I heard a guest speaker on a radio program yesterday (Family Life Today) talk about praying for your spouse with just these simple words.

For a woman praying for her husband: Lord, help me hear him, support him, and serve him.

For a man praying for his wife: Lord, help me hear her, cherish her, and serve her.

I just heard this prayer yesterday but I have been praying it in my mind over and over ever since. I think the insight I received from this children's book today, is God answering my prayer, by allowing me to see my husband in a different light. Reminding me not to forget what his ultimate purpose is as my husband, nor what my purpose is as his wife.

Marriage, God's institution, is much more than what we look at it as on any given day. It's more than tax breaks, the splitting of duties, sharing the burden, or whatever else modern culture would like to define it as. God's institution has eternal implications for believers. We'd be wise not to lose sight of that, especially in the culture that we live in today.

I'd like to thank my dear friend for sharing this book with me. I am glad you are walking with me on this journey toward heaven, too. I need you and I am so grateful our lives have touched in this world.

To all my friends in Christ, I love you and I am thankful for your examples, your support, your weaknesses, and your love. May we all persevere to the end, and rejoice together as we sit at the banquet of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in heaven someday. Just imagine how much intimacy and love we will be able to have for each other in heaven! What joy awaits us!