A Live Wire

The defendant raised his right hand. He swore before the court and God Almighty to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” The prosecution had presented a compelling case that the defendant had attempted to kill his wife. The motive? He wanted to begin a whole new life with a new woman. He had to testify in his own defense if he was going to have a chance to avoid conviction. The jury needed to hear from him. He needed to convince them he was truthful in his testimony.

His testimony began with an amazing claim that went something like this: “I never intended to hurt my wife when I threw a live wire into her bathtub. I just wanted to scare her so I could save our marriage.”

Save the marriage? With a live wire? What a shocking answer (groan). As you might guess, the jury was not convinced and the defendant, in spite of his testimony, was convicted of attempted murder in the first degree.

People do some strange things in the name of saving their marriage. There was the couple who decided to have a neighbor man “take care of the wife’s needs” while the husband was away on an extended business trip. The divorce papers were waiting for the husband when he returned home.

And there was the couple who just knew that viewing pornographic movies would provide the missing spark to save their marriage. The marriage ended when the wife could not and would not compete with the increasingly bizarre “scripts.” Let’s not forget the couples who thought that a baby would be just what they needed to deal with the stress of married life.

So guys, what do you do when your marriage really could use a live wire?

How about energizing your wife by being thoughtful and considerate? Provide a relationship spark by appreciating her with admiration and respect. Add some spice by treating her with tenderness and gentleness. Fan the flames of passion by honoring her as your spiritual equal through the grace of God. Revive the marriage with prayer — the ultimate live wire.

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7).

— Bob Clark

11/30/2004