Yo, That's My Wife!

Several years ago, when I was still in the early stages of married life (and before my marriage to Christ), my husband and I were at the Noncommissioned Officers’ (NCO) club for happy hour.  We were both active duty Air Force members very fluent in trash talk, but all in fun.  And though a female, I could hold my own with the best of them. So, when I was at the bar waiting for my turn to order a round of drinks, I thought nothing of it when a guy tried to bully his way in front of me. As a regular to the club, I knew he was new and maybe didn’t realize there was a line. Anyway, I said something flippant and he responded. To this day I don’t know what he said but it didn’t go well with others that heard it.

As I said, I could hold my own in a verbal altercation. It came with a lot of practice. So, when my husband rushes up to the bar (I never even saw him move from our table) and gets in this guy’s face and proclaim, “Yo, that’s my wife!” I knew what he said was worse than a flippant comeback. He had never before interfered when I found myself in a verbal altercation.  And then to have several of his buddies suddenly surround us and this guy who was obviously trying to decide if he could take my husband, and ask, “Horton, is everything cool?” Wow!

My husband has always been the type that just wanted to have a good time and then be left alone. Like I said, we were both trash talkers but always in fun.  There was always more bark than bite. But now, my man was ready to take a big bite! The visiting airman had gone too far and said something beyond disrespectful to HIS wife and it was not okay. This was not a fight he was going to stand by and allow me to fight on my own.

That’s how my God is. Now that I’m in a marriage relationship with Christ and not just an occasional date on Sunday morning, He watches over and protects me. He realizes there are some things I can probably handle without direct interference from Him, but then there are other situations where He steps in and lets the enemy know, “Yo, that’s my bride!” He comes to my rescue sometimes before I even recognize there’s been an offense. He steps in before the enemy can push beyond acceptable boundaries of God-allowed tests or trials.

Just as God has told the seas, “This far you may come and no farther…” (Job 38:11 NIV) He’s also told Satan, “This you can say or do, but no more.” I believe that even when I get myself in a mess and open the door to invite the enemy in, God puts a limit on what he can do to me. “Because [she] loves me,’’ says the Lord, “I will rescue [her].” (Psalm 91:14a NIV) He comes to my aid because we have a relationship; because we are committed to one another.

My husband cannot protect me from everything because he is just a man. A good man, but limited in his power, he can only do so much. But because he loves me and is committed to me, he does all he can. God also loves me, but unlike my husband, there is no limit to His power. I can go about my day unconcerned because I know that if the enemy tries to push the boundaries and offend me in some way, God will show up suddenly and declare, “Yo, that’s my wife!”