Real Escape Follow Up

Posted at 8:01 am on Nov 12, 09 by Michael Hearn.

This November’s marriage retreat was amazing! The weather was beautiful and the sessions were outstanding. This is a copy of the letter we inserted into everyone’s workbooks at the retreat. I hope that it blesses you as you read it! God bless all the married couple reading this.

Alright, it’s time to relax! We know many of you have run around like crazy people getting everything together before you left for this retreat! The kids are with a sitter; the bills are paid, or at least looked at; the office knows you won’t be in Friday; and even though you tried to make sure everything was in order, you still feel like you are forgetting something. So relax, you have made it! You are now in Pigeon Forge and it is time to focus on your spouse.
Every year Tiffany and I write a letter to the married couples in hopes that it encourages them to grow closer together as husband and wife. As we were talking about this year’s retreat, one thing kept coming to my mind about marriage. That one thing is “love”. 
In today’s world “love” is defined in so many ways. Some people say “I love my dog” and in the same breath say “I love my spouse”. I know I tell people “I love fajitas” and then go home and tell Tiffany “I love you”. So does that mean we love our spouse like “dogs and fajitas”? Love is so misused in the culture we live in. Its meaning has been diminished and downplayed as married couples say they are “in love” one day and “out of love” the next.
The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek. In each of these languages there are several words that describe what love is. Many people have heard the Greek words for love, but most have never looked at the Hebrew words for love. The first word is “raya”. It means friend or companion, (this is someone you hang out with and enjoy spending time together). The second word for love is “ahava”. I love saying this word. It rolls off the tongue with such force and energy. This word is much more than a temporary romantic feeling. It is a love that leads to commitment, like making the decision to spend the rest of your life with someone. Song of Songs 8:7 says “Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.” This love is a love of the will. The last of the Hebrew words for love is “Dod”. This word resonates with power and passion. This type of love is based on the physical and sexual part of the relationship. Song of Songs 1:2 says, “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine.”
When we say “we love someone” we often don’t think about what love really means. God created us with this amazing capacity to love. This love in the context of marriage is greater than anything we can imagine. Husbands and wives are to “raya” their spouse. They need to be each other’s best friend. When this happens it leads to “ahava”.  Ahava is committing yourself entirely to each other and standing in the truth that no matter what, you are committed to each other. When “raya” and “ahava” are nurtured and formed, “dod” awakens and love is based off more than one thing. It now encompasses everything you are.
Over the years my love for Tiffany has developed from “raya”, my best friend to “ahava”, my life partner, wife, and team mate. I am committed to her and her alone. As this has happened the “dod” part of love has become more than I could ever imagine. It is amazing what God does when you place Him first and do things His way.
May the Lord allow your marriage to be filled with “raya”, “ahava”, and “dod”. May Christ give you the marriage you have always dreamed of and more!