Mellow With Age
Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Proverbs 5:18
Solomon spends the majority of this chapter warning against strange and evil women and only a few verses regarding our wives. If he had only followed his own advice! However, verses 18-19 always catch my eye. He is not talking to a youthful man but rather a mature one. As such, he doesn’t simply state “your wife” but “the wife of thy youth” which implies she has been with you through it all. She has seen the good times and the bad times, your public image and the “just rolled out of bed” image. And amazingly, she is still there - supporting you every step of the way.
When you realize what an insurmountable task that can be, your appreciation for your wife grows. It doesn’t matter your current age, physical appearance or condition but what does matter is the outpouring of love to get where you are. It is easy to see his passionate description of your wife in verse 19!
Age has a way of softening the edges of our memory. Childbirth isn’t so traumatic fifteen years later - because it has been softened by that first image of a newborn’s smile. The hard times and struggles are softened by the memories of having each other. Much like wine, our memories mellow with age. So are the memories of our wives – they mellow with age.
However, Solomon reminds us not to let our relationship with our wives mellow but to be “ravished always with her love”. Have you shown your appreciation? Does she know she is still the “wife of thy youth”? Rejoice with her today – for you are blessed to have someone that loves you enough to still be there!
Solomon spends the majority of this chapter warning against strange and evil women and only a few verses regarding our wives. If he had only followed his own advice! However, verses 18-19 always catch my eye. He is not talking to a youthful man but rather a mature one. As such, he doesn’t simply state “your wife” but “the wife of thy youth” which implies she has been with you through it all. She has seen the good times and the bad times, your public image and the “just rolled out of bed” image. And amazingly, she is still there - supporting you every step of the way.
When you realize what an insurmountable task that can be, your appreciation for your wife grows. It doesn’t matter your current age, physical appearance or condition but what does matter is the outpouring of love to get where you are. It is easy to see his passionate description of your wife in verse 19!
Age has a way of softening the edges of our memory. Childbirth isn’t so traumatic fifteen years later - because it has been softened by that first image of a newborn’s smile. The hard times and struggles are softened by the memories of having each other. Much like wine, our memories mellow with age. So are the memories of our wives – they mellow with age.
However, Solomon reminds us not to let our relationship with our wives mellow but to be “ravished always with her love”. Have you shown your appreciation? Does she know she is still the “wife of thy youth”? Rejoice with her today – for you are blessed to have someone that loves you enough to still be there!
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