A Herd

While preaching from Eph 5:22-24, about wives submitting to husbands and husbands loving and cherishing their wives, I told a story Brenda shared with me recently.

A business man traveled to another country for work. While there he kept hearing the locals refer to one man in their region over and over again as being the most astute businessman, the wisest man in the area, and the richest man in the area. The American businessman noticed every time Johnny, the local man, was mentioned after his list of successes people would chuckle. This took place for days and finally the American had to know why people always chuckled about Johnny.

In this country when a man wanted to marry a young lady it was customary to pay the Bride's father a cow. Many fathers got one cow for their daughters. On rare occasions a father got up to three cows for an exceptionally beautiful daughter. Johnny paid his father in law eight cows! The locals laughed because they thought the father in law was the one person who bested Johnny. The catch is the girl was an average looking woman.

The American decided one day he had to go and meet Johnny. When he did a beautiful woman was introduced as Johnny's wife. The American asked Johnny if he knew the locals laughed at him behind his back for paying eight cows for his wife. Johnny knew and this is how he responded.

He said he noticed before he got married the women who were married and had one cow paid for them. He saw how they felt inferior. He also noticed those girls that were paid for with three cows and it boosted their self-image.

When he fell in love he decided he never wanted his wife to feel inferior. So he bought her with eight cows. This demonstrated how much worth he gave her. He valued her. She in turn blossomed.

At the end of the service after telling this story,  I stood in the back talking with people as they exited. One wife told me she was an eight cow wife with her husband standing beside her. Soon another woman told me the same thing. Later a man that has been married to his wife for 33 years was asked how much he thought his wife was worth. He thought for a second and then answered, "A whole herd." WOW! How does that wife feel when she hears her husband say things like that.

I applaud husbands who go the extra mile to make their wives feel special, love them with more than words but also with deeds, and give value and honor to their wives. Their are plenty of wives who feel like one cow wives. Maybe a few that feel like a three cow wife. How many eight cow wives are out there? How few who feel like they are a herd wife?

O husbands may we love our wives like Christ loved the church. May we love with more than empty words. May we add value to them, edify them, and serve them. Thank God for those husbands who treat their wives like eight cow wives and herd wives.