Bitterness is the greatest enemy of the marriage relationship. In the letter to the Hebrews, we are admonished to keep “the marriage bed” undefiled. Yet, if there is a root of bitterness, defilement will happen. For each spouse there is pleasure in marriage, but there is also the pain that accompanies the sacrificial love it takes to make a vital, stable union. Both spouses enter a marriage with expectations that are not always realistic. And, most of us are not patient or forgiving of another’s failures. Husbands, elsewhere in Scripture, are commanded to love their wives with the love that Christ bore His Church, loving so as not to cause pain or treat the wife as an enemy. Marriage truly is meant to be the best earthly illustration of God, in Christ, loving His Bride, the Church. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 gives the fullest definition of what true love looks like. Husbands, without comparing or complaining about your wives, take some time to meditate on the passage and ask God to continue His good work in you as you love your wives. Selah.