If I Had Not Been With You, Would You Have Looked Again?

Several years ago Robin and I went on an Eastern Caribbean Cruise. After a week of pure luxury & relaxation, we elected to speed an additional week in the beautiful South Beach area of Miami.

The hotel was beautiful, the food was superb and the company, my wife, was the best. And then, oh man….. and then, the trouble started.

As we walked down the busy shopping district, adjacent to the gorgeous coastal waters, my day was shot immediately. In a nanosecond, in the blink of an eye, my day was shot.

A person I didn’t know and had never met

And pray I never meet again, walked out of a quaint little shop right in our face. It wasn’t what she had on that was the problem, it's what she didn’t have on that ruined our day.

There is more cotton in an aspirin bottle than she was wearing

Oh my gosh, where was I to look now? I’m praying, Dear Lord, “Please let her go away, go anywhere, just go away”. After an eternity, maybe 2 minutes, she went into another store. Man, was I glad. The awkwardness of the moment, the silence between Robin and I was unbearable.

And then, Robin said, “I have a question.”

I started to laugh. Anytime I think I may be in trouble, I start laughing. She said, "No, seriously, I’m ok; I just want to ask you one question: If I had not been with you, would you have looked again”?

Pause, now we are talking a literal eternity

Do I lie? Do I say I have no idea what you’re talking about? I have to think of something to say, and I mean quick.

“Well, to be perfectly honest, my carnal self, my flesh, probably”. The argument that men are visual came to my mind quickly. And to be perfectly honest, we are.

This discussion, however uncomfortable, ended well

It gave Robin and I the openness to talk about our strengths and weaknesses. After much discussion, truthfulness and transparency there were huge benefits to that day. Awkward? Very. Beneficial? Absolutely.

As Robin processed that event and began to think through ways to strengthen our relationship, she came up with an idea that has proven to be a home run for us both.

To stand by her husband and give me the support I need, she prays for my eyes every day.

She prays for what I look at to be God honoring and pleasing from her perspective as well as His. Now, when temptation presents itself, and it does often, the first thing that comes to my mind is my wife, on her knees, head lowered, asking God to protect my eyes. The strength that this affords is immeasurable. I want to support and honor my wife more than anything. One way to do this is keep my eyes focused in the right direction.

What about you guys, are you honoring your wife with protecting your eyes? Let's keep our focus!

Live on purpose,

Aaron