I am not ashamed,
of the garden God planted across the story of her life,
From her scars, the darkness of her skin.
I'm just grateful
to be allowed beside her.
Near her valley lows and mountain highs.
I am there to catch her and hold her through it all.
My hands handle with care,
No caution but praise,
She is the wife of my soul,
And
my spirit.
I cry, not for sorrow but for joy.
There's a prayer on my lips,
poured out loud,
always near to her heart.
Her scars tell a story of a once-hurt woman now healed and redeemed.
She falls to her knees and praises God.
Then rises with me, hands clasped.
A queen in her own right, one I am honored to stand beside.
And I have never wanted anything
more than I want to be beside
her.
Here.
Now.
Her scars never bothered me;
They summoned me. Humbled me. Called me forth.
I want her beauty,
her ugly,
her fire and her ash.
I want the holy hush
after her praise.
And I want to wake up,
To the woman, she is
long after the mask
Has fallen. And still choosing her.
Inhale.
A Selah.
Exhale.
Amen.
*****
Scriptures to Pair with The Husband Files
Poems
The Showdown, Love Come Down
● Genesis 2:24 – 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his
wife, and they shall become one flesh.'
● Song of Solomon 2:16 – 'My beloved is mine, and I am his.'
The Sacred Vow
● Hosea 2:19 – 'I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in
righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy.'
● Matthew 22:37 – 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind.'
Woman that is me
● Proverbs 31:25 – 'Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.'
● Song of Solomon 4:7 – 'You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.'
She More Than the Body
● 1 Samuel 16:7 – 'Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'
● Psalm 139:14 – 'I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are
Your works, and that my soul knows very well.'
Queen Bee
● Judges 4:9 – 'So she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, there will be no glory
for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a
woman."'
● Micah 6:8 – 'He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of
You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?'
Song of Songs: A Reprisal
● Song of Solomon 8:6 – 'Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for
love is as strong as death.'
● Ephesians 5:31-32 – 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I
speak concerning Christ and the church.'
In the Eyes of My King, My Husband, My Covering
● Ephesians 5:25 – 'Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and
gave Himself for her.'
● Proverbs 18:22 – 'He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the
Lord.'
I Am Not Ashamed of the Garden
● Genesis 1:31 – 'Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very
good.'
● Isaiah 61:3 – 'To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the
planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.'