Religion: A Pastor Ponders

Concerning Marriage

By Pastor William Jenkins

August 8, 2007

I miss opening the car door for my wife. For years she never opened the car door for herself if we were traveling together. Of course, that was when we drove older cars that did not have remote door openers. When we got a car with a remote opener I really did like the effortlessness with which I could show my love for her. However, I’ve dropped my remote so many times that it doesn’t work any more. After the remote opener failed I made an awful discovery: I went to open her door with my key and there was no key-hole in the passenger-side door! The age of chivalry died on the spot. It’s just not the same to open the driver-side door with my key and push a button to let her in. My wife and I are celebrating our fortieth wedding anniversary this week and it has been the little things that have made quality contributions to our marriage.

The Song of Solomon is a beautiful love story. In it there is a verse that says,

“Catch the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines.

” (2:15) I have observed that most marriages are not blown out of the water by some great catastrophe. Most failing marriages die a slow death from lack of attention to the little things, like the small courtesy of opening the car door for your wife. Little foxes get into the marriage patch and begin to eat away at the things that nourish a loving relationship- things like thoughtfulness, kindness, unselfishness, helpfulness, loving considerations, etc. Can you still look into one another’s eyes and say, I love you?

A marriage is like a piece of cloth held together by many small threads. Whenever a thread begins to come unraveled and is not repaired other threads will follow. After a while the whole piece of cloth disintegrates from lack of attention to a small thread. It is the little foxes that spoil the vine. I guess I’ll have to buy a new car so I can begin again to open the door for my wife.

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

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