Song of Solomon 1

Do not stare at me because I am swarthy, for the sun has burned me. My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me caretaker of the vineyards, but I have not taken care of my own vineyard. Song 1:6

I remember a former pastor of mine who was preaching on meaningful relationships. His contention was that divorce and breakups happen in our country because so many people, even Christians, fail to develop deep relationships before their marriage. He gave the example of hearing women who said, "I can't believe he's with her." In their eyes, the man was much better looking than his wife. This pastor said that if those women would sit with her for a few minutes, they would quickly see the love, mind, and caring that drew this man to her. To him she is beautiful inside and out because of the total woman she is.

Solomon made the poor choice to have many wives and women in his life. It was a character flaw that had carried over from his father, David. However, there appears to have been one wife in particular who was of high value to him. This woman had lived a difficult life. She was deeply tanned, to the point of being burned due to her family who forced her to be constantly working outside in the sun. As a result, she didn't look like other women around her, even taking on the appearance of being from a foreign land. This was certainly in the back of her mind, however she knew that the love of her husband was not swayed by the thoughts and impressions of others. She accepted his love, and loved him back in return. This is a good moment to reflect whether you're married or would like to be one day. How do you love your spouse? Does he or she have moments of doubt because of your inability to consistently communicate that love? As Christians, we should love our spouses in such a way that God is honored and that our relationships are examples to a lost world. May they look at our marriages and households and see a difference that is absent from the world.