How does a man love a women?

Hip hip hooray for marriage counseling class :)

My Christian Counseling classes are extremely educational but my Marriage counseling HOW TO class is so practical! I thought I would write a few paragraphs on my recent epiphany. 

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How does a man love a women?
Not without difficulties and as this proverb says it is one of four things that just don't make sense: 

Proverbs 30:18-19 

There are three things that amaze me— 

no, four things that I don’t understand: 

how an eagle glides through the sky, 

how a snake slithers on a rock, 

how a ship navigates the ocean, 

how a man loves a woman.

However, God designed man to have a partner as it's clearly stated in Genesis that it is not good for man to be alone and took from Adam's side a rib and with it created his wife. (Not many men can say God created his women for him without a pinch of doubt, like Adam could.) If closely read Adam and Eve, though made for each other by the hand of God, arguably had one of the hardest marriages I've ever read about. They ruled the entire world together and held the great responsibility of taking care of it- talk about stress! Unable to obey simple directions they were tempted and cast out of the perfect garden. Imagine the strain on your marriage knowing you have just became responsible for the damnation of the entire human race! It doesn't stop there- their first son murders their second son! With all of that and much more they not only stayed married but Adam lived 930 years. That's a long time to be married! 

This brings me to my point, if God allows you to get married then he allows your the grace to stay married. Will it be easy? Heck no! Will you feel abandoned? Maybe, at time. Does God leave you to struggle through it alone? Absolutely not. He knows it is impossible for humans to love unconditionally so he gave us an example (Jesus) to follow and when we fail (inevitably) he gives us mercy, grace, forgiveness, and his ability to love agape style to make it right again. Marriage is as close to God's heart as his Son and his relationship with the church- which says a lot about his willingness to protect it! We know this by the scriptures and how he identifies it in Eph.5:21-33 with the unconditional love Christ has for the church.

How does a man love a women? If you have been married for any amount of time you know that it's not without times of disrepair. But the only way a man can truly love his women is to love God. God understands women because they were created in his image. If she confuses you, ask Him about it, he wrote the book she operates by. 

As God helps fulfill the man, the man is able to fulfill his wife. When a man seeks to fulfill his needs by his wife (imperfect human) then the relationship between the two becomes "take/give or  take/take". If the man is content in his life and allows his needs to be met by God, then he is able to selflessly give to his spouse. A women is more open to give her time and make sacrifices for him when she feels loved by her selfless husband. Thus the relationship becomes a cycle of "give/give". ***if the man or women is already fulfilled by God anything above that requirement given by the spouse overflows onto others (like their children). My professor likes to rephrase the typical marriage vows of "as long as we both shall live" with "as long as we both shall give".

I'll have much much more to share the more I learn, but for now this amazed me and I wanted to share. I'll leave you with this inspiring quote and a sweet link:

"Where there is great love, there are always miracles". 

                                                                  -Willa Carter

 60 short short love stories that will melt your heart.