Davidisms - What a Heaven of A Lot You've Missed

I remember my dad once telling me a story about a man he was counseling. The man was a lifelong philanderer. An admitted womanizer and adulterer. He saw women as objects instead of treasures.

When my dad told this man that he’d been married and faithful to one woman, my mom, for decades, the man couldn’t believe it! He looked at my dad with a mixture of pity and disdain. As if my dad had given away a winning lottery ticket.

And then the man said this, “What a hell of a lot you’ve missed.”

To which my dad replied, “What a heaven of a lot you’ve missed.”

Here’s what my dad had already learned. When a marriage is Christ-centered and loving, it may be the closest thing to heaven on this side of eternity. In a long-term, covenant marriage, two truly have become one (Gen. 2:24).

It’s the kind of life Jesus wants to have with his church, his bride here on earth.

Worldly treasures found through deceit are fleeting (Prov. 21:6). And the desires of the flesh lead to death (Rom. 8:13).

But when you choose to honor your beloved. To cherish and treasure your spouse, it’s as close to heaven as you can get before entering heaven.

And that’s what my dad meant when he said to the man: What a heaven of a lot you’ve missed.