“You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.” (Psalm 45:2 NIV)

This psalm is a wedding song and this morning I read it and wondered, why do we get married and stop singing? A godly marriage is a forever blessing. A spouse of noble character is the gift that keeps on giving.

Forgive me, as I am a bit self-reflective this morning. My dear Rob and I will have been married twenty years next month. It’s unfathomable, really, that two nervous teenagers could stand in the sight of God and friends and make vows we didn’t grasp and yet this commitment has somehow stuck for two full decades!

I believed that day, with all my heart, that I was marrying the most excellent of men. I still do. I’m not sure why I’m not better about telling him. Why do we let the business of life get in the way of the business of loving? Love lasts forever, all the other stuff quickly fades under the sun. 

Day to day living has a way of keeping us from complimenting our husbands. We humans have what is called a negativity bias. It’s an unfortunate side effect of the fall. We see the bad things louder than the good things and we repeat that story until it’s all that we can hear. We can’t afford to do this with our mate.

When it comes to husbands, I know that I have a good one. He is faithful, loyal, honest. He is hardworking, diligent. He is smart, meticulous and methodical. He loves God with every bit of his being. He is most excellent. He mine. And I plan on reminding him of all of this today. Might your remind your spouse as well? 

Perhaps husbands who are regularly told that they are the best, will believe that they are the best, and therefore behave as best.

Lord, help us make regular, healthy contributions to our spouse’s ego. May we still believe that they are ‘most excellent’. May we continue to pursue our spouse, and You, in all we do. Amen.