Starry Night (Encouragement For Wives)

By Maribeth Spangenberg

“And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him an help meet for him…Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Gen. 2:18, 24

It was two in the morning as my husband and I sat out on my brother’s newly finished, wooden deck, reclining together in the bench swing and staring up towards the easterly sky.

“Oh, look,” my husband said enthusiastically as he pointed towards his left, “a shooting star!” It was momentary and happened quickly, but we both saw it.

“Wow,” was all I could utter as I stared up at the clear night sky. The scene was spectacular! An innumerable number of stars, all of varying size and brightness were an awesome testimony of God’s handiwork. The more our eyes adjusted to the darkness, the greater the count became.

I pulled the oversized towel more tightly around my shoulders and was better able to fend off the June night chill, as I continued staring up at the heavenly masterpiece.

“I never thought I’d be doing this,” my husband spoke quietly, “just me and my honey, sitting out under the stars, alone, no kids… and in our pj’s to boot. It was sure kind of your brother to let us use his mountain house this weekend.”

The occasion was my husband’s fiftieth birthday. Although we had observed it quietly as a family, I felt that he had still been slighted. This was a milestone for him and I had not been able to celebrate it as I would have liked. Three months ago our third-born had married. Two and a half months later our oldest son graduated from college with his Master’s Degree, and five days later, just two weeks previous, we had hosted a large, traditional party-gathering for our fourth high school graduate. Lots to celebrate in such a short amount of time.

“Whoa, look, another shooting star!” I exclaimed, “And it occurred close to where we had seen the first one! I thought it was rare to even see one, let alone two.”

“I don’t know how common they are,” my husband answered, “but they sure are neat!”

For a while we just sat quietly, slumped in the motionless swing and straining our eyes to look ever deeper into the heavens. I felt like a teenager with her first love, enjoying my husband’s presence and relishing the blessing of being a couple.

“Just think,” my husband broke the silence, “that heaven is just beyond those stars.”

At this point we realized that what we had imagined to be a possible high cloud covering was probably the elongated area of the Milky Way Galaxy. The night sky was too clear to be otherwise.

“When we get to heaven, I want us to still be a married couple,” my loving spouse stated, “because I can’t imagine my life otherwise.”

I truly felt like the most blessed, prized woman in the whole world! Knowing my faults and seeing my shortcomings, he still loved me in spite of them. Amazing! A woman doesn’t need to be a Miss America to feel beautiful. She just needs to be loved.

The cool night air was beginning to penetrate our night-time attire and bath towel wrappings.

“Let me know when you want to go inside,” my husband offered, knowing how much I was enjoying the star gazing night.

“Just a little while longer.” I asked, “Wouldn’t it be neat if we saw another shooting star?” As unlikely as that seemed, I couldn’t help hoping.

Moments later, much to our excitement, awe, and wonder, together we witnessed the longest, brightest shooting star I had ever seen! I truly felt the Lord’s Hand and blessing on our much needed, two day get-away.

As hard as it may seem at times, it is so important for us, as homeschooling mothers, to keep our perspective that we were wives first. Homeschooling is time consuming and it is a lifestyle that revolves around the children, but keep in mind, children grow up and homeschooling then becomes a passing season of life. Even in the midst of busy schedules and demanding curriculum, we must make every effort to nurture our marriage.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for the precious blessing of my husband! Please help me never to take him for granted! I pray for Your wisdom to always keep my priorities straight, and for the grace to follow Your leading!