“if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” – 1 Corinthians 14:8
I sent this text message to my wife the other day:
Now that I’ve shared that with you, I guess I should explain it. My wife was spending the weekend at a ladies retreat in Orange Beach, but I always text her when I leave work to let her know I’m on my way home. She’s usually waiting for me when I get there, so my quick message announcing my return fills me with joy as I anticipate our evening together. On this particular evening, Jessica was at the retreat, and our son was helping with an event at the church, which meant that I would be coming home to an empty house. There really wasn’t any need for me to send this particular message, but I always text when I’m on my way home, and I knew that it would make my wife laugh, so I sent it anyway.
Of course, when Jessica called me later that night, she told me that she laughed at my message, but she also said that she had shown it to some of the other ladies at the retreat, and they were amazed to hear that we text each other things like that all the time. I text my wife every time I leave work just to let her know that I’m headed her way and that I love her. That way, she always knows when to expect me home. She never has to worry about getting supper ready and the food just sitting on the counter for hours because I’m having to work late. She has never left an event early to meet me at home only to be left waiting long past the end of the event with me still not showing up. If we’re going out for the evening, she never has to guess about when to stop coaching and editing for her clients and when to start getting ready for our date. A simple bit of conscientious effort on my part lifts all those burdens off of her.
If you don’t already give your wife a “heads up” when you leave work each night, you might want to start building that habit now. It’s another way to fulfill the command for the husband to love his wife (Ephesians 5:25). When I was in college, I read several etiquette books, and I noticed that most of them instructed the wife to be both mentally and physically prepared each night to greet her husband when he comes home from work, and most of them told the husband to clear his mind during his trip home so he could devote himself to his wife when he arrived. This is sound advice for both husbands and wives, but it can be difficult to follow in today’s hectic world. Sending your wife a quick text to let her know you’re on your way home is a good way to remind both of you that, in spite of anything that may have happened during the day, you get to spend the evening with each other. In essence, your text message will be your way of sounding a trumpet to announce that the battle of love is about to begin.