A lily among brambles

'As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women'.

Song of Solomon 2.2

A lily among brambles is how every husband should seek to view their wives in relation to other women. Christian husbands should have eyes only for their wives. In our marriage vows we promised to forsake all others. This forsaking should be mental and visual as well as physical. Of course there are many enemies that seek to stop our eyes and mind expressing this exclusive, covenant love. So every day let us pray that by God's grace we may view our wives as a lily among the brambles. Few contemporary voices address these issues as boldly and wisely as CJ Mahaney. I highly recommend his book, 'Sex Romance and the glory of God. Here is a relevant excert,

He writes,

'Every wife wants to know that she is uniquely impressed on the heart of her husband...Do you wear that seal upon your finger as an external affirmation of the seal upon your heart? Do you truly treasure your wedding ring as a bold, unwavering, ever present assertion - to yourself and to the world - of your total, exclusive, utterly comprehensive devotion to your wife? It's really simple. No one should be more important to you than your wife or be the object of greater love and affection. So let us do two things. First, let us scrutinize our lives: Is there any other passion that may be eclipsing our passion for our wives? And second, let us give to our wives whatever resassurance of this unparalleled love they may need.'