August 28, 2013

Ephesians 5:25 — Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

I love musicals. Oldish ones — the ones with plots, tunes, and good songs. I don’t mind if they’re sentimental nonsense. I’m soft enough to go along with the flow. So I’ve got a soft spot for “Camelot”, even if it is more than 40 years old. There’s a song in it that really speaks to my soft spot, sung by Arthur and Merlin:

“How to handle a woman? There’s a way,” said the wise old man, “A way known by ev’ry woman Since the whole rigmarole began.”
“Do I flatter her?” I begged him answer. “Do I threaten or cajole or plead? Do I brood or play the gay romancer?”
Said he, smiling: “No indeed. How to handle a woman Mark me well, I will tell you, sir: The way to handle a woman Is to love her…simply love her… Merely love her…love her…love her.”

It’s not often, nowadays, that a Broadway Musical takes such a Biblical line.
Now Myra and I are flattered that many people who see us know that we’re in love. But sometimes people ask how we manage it. So just in case you don’t know — or you’ve got someone you want to get a clue — here’s a guide to our secrets!
It starts by working at it! We know that love is not something that happens to you, or something you fall into, it’s something that you do. We work at it.
The next thing is communicating. All the time. An interesting challenge and one I’m not very good at. There are three parts to communication. Listening up, speaking up, and shutting up! Knowing when to be quiet, and knowing when to listen is important. But also — especially challenging for us men — you have to be ready to talk about things you really don’t want to talk about.
Be ready to be wrong, sometimes even when you’re right. Infallibility is very irritating. If you’re a man, especially, be prepared NOT to solve problems and not to provide answers.
Never let the sun go down on your wrath. Another verse from Ephesians — 4:26 this time: “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath”. It’s harder than it looks. Settle your arguments before you sleep. We’ve had a few late nights … but by God’s grace, so far, we have never slept with an invisible wall of silence separating us.
Don’t insist in your own way. Another wonderful, and neglected, scripture — “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;” (Romans 12:10).
There. That’s not so hard is it? There’s probably a bit more to it. Picking the right person has something to do with it, for sure! I know I was really blessed in that department.
Kiss. Hold hands. Say the words …
Oh … and one more thing — The way to handle a woman Is to love her…simply love her… Merely love her…love her…love her.”