Husband from hell

I was sitting in the giant marquee in which my church holds a festival every Easter. A man walked past me, in the aisle, followed by his wife.

It was a sad sight. He's led a chaotic life, ravaged by drug addiction and psychosis (we see a painful amount of it as the Jesus Army.)

But it was her that was the really sad sight. Thin, drawn, pale. Her life's been hellish because of him. Women's faithfulness can be utterly astounding - sometimes, tragically, to their detriment.

It made me reflect. Often looking at a wife can tell you a lot about her husband. A fulfilled and fruitful wife can be a preacher's very best sermon. Conversely, an unhappy, unfulfilled wife can be an indictment of her husband.

At the time, we were singing a song about the bride of Christ, the church. Jesus rose from the dead, not just to provide us with an excuse to eat chocolate eggs. He didn't even rise from the dead just so that we would have life after death.

He died and rose from death in order to gain a beautiful bride, a church of those being freed from death in all its forms - now, in this life, as well as afterwards.

Every life changed, every life ransomed from death, every life beautified in the bride of Christ - it is to the glory and honour of her Husband.

And so I pray for that couple I saw. May they yet come to a better day, a healing day, a new day. A resurrection day.