Today’s reading is Song of Songs 2
We have been spending a lot of time at basketball and volleyball games. Rushing around from work to games and back home again. Its exhausting, but we wouldn't miss the games for anything. One particular day I arrived late to a game. Mike was already there saving a seat for me. I plopped down next to him with a weary sigh and pulled out my favorite Chap stick. I popped the top off, anticipating some relief to my Illinois chapped lips, and the ENTIRE contents of the stick fell out onto the ground. There is no 5 second rule to a gym floor. Mike watched the whole thing happen and saw the disappointment on my face. No words were spoken, but I knew he was with me in the pit of no chap stick. The next day I came home to a SAMs club box of 10 Chap sticks. My favorite kind! I felt so loved and cared for in that moment. It reminded me of the days I first met him and all the reasons I fell for him.
Song of Songs is the ultimate book of love. It opens with a wedding and then chapter 2 shares the "memories of courtship". It is a chapter of mushy poetry that likens one to a "gazelle" and the other to a "dove". It is obvious that they are infatuated with each other as they cannot stop gushing over one another. Have you been around this couple before? They are the ones in a room of 50 people but they only have eyes for each other, no one else exists. Often times this is the difference between newlyweds and those of us who have multiple years under our belts. Those days of poems and gushy talk often fade into the daily grind of work and responsibilities. But the days of infatuation are so important to our future selves. They remind us why we got together in the first place.
Song of Songs 2:15 "Quick! Catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard of your love, for the grapevines are all in blossom".NIV
Love is a beautiful thing but can be fragile too. The foxes are the little things that creep into our relationships. Selfishness, bitterness, pride. In this chapter the young women of Jerusalem are reminding the couple that there will be trouble. In the midst of seeing them so in love they want to instill a little reality and wisdom into their relationship. Be on the alert for the "foxes" that steal away the love. It can happen so quickly and innocently. The most beautiful picture of a marriage is one based on the love of Jesus.
Song of Songs 2:16 "My beloved is mine, and I am his". KJV
Today spend some time remembering your courtship. Remind your mate why you chose them. If you are in the position of not being able to remember why - ask God to reveal that to you. Marriage can be very difficult, with unexpected twists and turns. Situations change but God never changes. He is the one constant in the midst of instability.
Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of marriage. Thank you for your design and your plan. Forgive us when we stray from it, seeking our own desires. I pray that you would comfort those who are struggling. Please bring healing and peace to their hearts. We trust you to strengthen our marriages and protect them from the schemes of evil that would destroy the good you have started. May we be good to each other because You have been so good to us. Amen
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". NIV
Shelly