Caring For Your Wife – A Humorous Look

Ok, the last post on marriage illustrated the beauty of marital love and commitment from a positive point of view. Here is a humorous look at how marital love and commitment can sadly evolve (devolve?) into carelessness. This little illustration was in the Saturday Evening Post many years ago, and I first heard it in a sermon by John MacArthur on the topic of husbands loving their wives. It describes a new husband’s reaction to his wife getting a head cold in each of their first seven years of marriage.

The First Year: Sugar Dumpling, I’m really worried about my baby girl. You’ve got a bad sniffle and there’s no telling about these things with all this strep going around. I’m putting you in the hospital this afternoon for a general check-up and a good rest. I know the food’s lousy, but I’ll be bringing your meals in from Rossini’s. I’ve already got it all arranged with the floor superintendent.

The Second Year: Listen darling, I don’t like the sound of that cough. I’ve called Doc Miller and asked him to rush over here. Now you go to bed like a good girl, please, just for papa.

The Third Year: Maybe you’d better lie down, honey: nothing like a little rest when you feel lousy. I’ll bring you something. Have you got any canned soup?

The Fourth Year: Now look, dear, be sensible. After you’ve fed the kids, washed the dishes, and finished the floors, you’d better lie down.

The Fifth Year: Why don’t you take a couple of aspirin?

The Sixth Year: I wish you just gargle or something instead of sitting around all evening barking like a seal!

The Seventh Year: For Pete’s sake, stop sneezing! Are you trying to give me pneumonia?

As MacArthur observed, “The decline of marriage, as seen through the common cold! A humorous look at a not-so-humorous reality.” Let’s not allow our love and care and concern for our wives diminish men! We must uphold by our example the glorious realities of what marriage should be, even while our culture is attempting to diminish and redefine it.