Fine China

Today's controversial topic is brought to you by 1 Peter 3:7.

Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you  of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Fine China

This is not an insult to women, but rather a beautiful analogy of how marriage should be. Think of the phrase "weaker vessel" as "fine china". Our wives are precious, to be handled delicately. When they are knocked off the shelf, real men throw their backs out to catch them. The pain accompanied with a strained back is little compared to the cost of a shattered spouse.

I can't share the truth of scriptures without being transparent. The painful truth be told: I never really thought of Amanda as fine china. She's always come across to me as bold and independent. In fact, during our courtship, those were the qualities I admired. Amanda expressed individuality in the way she dressed and carried herself. She wore sneakers with her skirt (it was a long skirt perverts) and wasn't afraid to dye her hair to match whatever crazy color I had at the time. She was so interesting to talk to and was bold, asking for my number before I got hers.

I misinterpreted this boldness as not needing me to be a strong foundation for her to rely on. I expected her to forge her own relationship with God and didn't buy into that "spiritual leader" crap. Boy was I wrong! Amanda is exactly how God designed her to be, needing a husband who patiently leads her, encouraging her expressiveness to take hold of our marriage and shape our children into the beautiful people God designed them to be.

Hindered Prayers

When viewed from the scriptures, our wives become so much more important to our daily lives and spiritual growth. The latter part really hit home with me, in particular when it indicated that my prayer life was affected by the way I treated my wife:

Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you  of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Did you get that? Read in reverse, a husband's prayers are hindered if they do not honor their wives. Wow! Really? You mean that God won't hear me out if I refuse to take my role in honoring Amanda seriously? Yep!

This explains so much and would have helped me avoid many stumbling obstacles through out my 13 years of marriage. I just didn't see her as that "important" to my spiritual growth. Because of my upbringing (read: testimony), my spiritual walk was of my own forging: a private, personal voyage with God wherein I only shared with others through evangelism. Amanda, in my eyes, had no impact on my spiritual growth.  Yet, like fine china, she is invaluable to the progress of my relationship with God.