March 12

Gosh. Jamie just barged into my room and said I need to see her dad now. Yet another "talk"? I'm scared now. Well, time to go into the lion's den.

I'm back. That wasn't too nervewracking - Reverend didn't treat me like the incoming son-in-law, but as a loving Pastor instead.

He sat Jamie and me down and began reading from the Bible. At this point, I was sweating buckets, wondering if he was trying to give the sex talk via the word, or something? I still haven't fully read the Bible cover to cover, you know. The stories about Jesus in the Gospels (I think that's what it's called) and the Israelites in the Old Testament is pretty interesting, but the rules in Leviticus is pretty boring in my opinion, and all the prophets speak about is gloom and doom.

Well, even my beautiful Christian fiancee hasn't fully read those parts yet, ha!

I was trying to recall where the Bible talks about sex (Songs of Songs I suppose?) when I realise Reverend was reading the very passage of the Bible reading I had done in the morning:

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."

My head snapped up and I listened intently as Reverend continued to read.

"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

He halted and looked at Jamie and I intently.

"I want both of you to heed the words in this passage. It is instructions to a married couple, and they are not to be taken lightly."

"The woman is given the command to submit to her husband. She should listen to his authority and follow his lead."

I interrupted. Oops, I should really be slower to speak. But I couldn't help myself !

"Wait, why does Jamie have to submit to me? Isn't that pretty old-fashioned, asking women to be submissive to their husbands?"

Reverend turned to me. I've forgotten for a while how his eyes looked like when he was pursuing an argument at close range. They blazed with passion as he replied.

"It is part of the divine order in which God created Man. He created woman from man, and he created man to be the initiator and the mover."

"But, we need to continue reading to understand the full picture of the passage."

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:20-27)

"However, the man is given an equal, if not even greater responsibility. His job is to love his wife, just as Christ loves the church."

Reverend crossed over to a small blackboard and drew a triangle. On the top end, he marked "God", and the bottom ends, he marked my name and Jamie's name.

He turned to us.

"Marriage is not merely between husband and wife - marriage is a trinity between husband, wife and God, reflecting how his unity not only honors man but honors God and his perfect image of marriage."

I stepped down the stairs of Jamie's house deep in thought. Jamie was bouncing in front of me, giddy in her sunflower golden sundress, the very epitome of perfection as usual.

"Jamie.." I cleared my throat awkwardly as she halted. "I just want you to know, cause I'm still figuring out all this Bible things, that I don't agree that you should submit to me, ever. I would never expect anyone to submit to my whim just because the Bible commands them to."

She turned to me, eyes sparkling with that same fervent, blazing love I always hold close to my heart.

"I know you'd never force me to do anything against my will, Landon, but because I love you, I really really love you", it is my joy and honor to submit to you as your wife, and allow you to assume spiritual leadership in our household."

She kissed me lightly on the cheek, and dragged me out to lunch, laughing hand in hand.

I'm still uncomfortable about the term "submission" but since Jamie was happy and content, I'll let it be.