Your Rod And Your Staff

"Your rod and your staff, they comfort me."  I love these words from Psalms 23:4.

They mean so much to my marriage as a submissive wife, so much I didn't realize until we studied them in church one week a couple years ago, and reading my Bible tonight, thought about again.  We took each verse that week, and people told what they thought they meant, and when it came to this verse, people pointed out that the rod was for discipline, and the staff for safety and rescuing.

We definitely own a rod. ;)  I was actually well acquainted with it a few weeks ago.  Eeek.  Just maintenance, but still.  It's not kind either way. lol  But the rod is also there to guide me, correct me, discipline me when I get too big for my britches and start to become someone I'm not proud of, and even ashamed of.

We do not have an actual physical staff, but still, the Duke's arms are my staff.  The Duke is there to rescue me when I start to get lost.  Not lost in a physical sense, but as in feeling overwhelmed and not knowing which way to go.  He's there to rescue me when I start to go crazy and I don't know what to do with myself.  He's there catch me and help me walk the straight and narrow, to guide me and direct me and keep me from getting into harm.  He's there to protect me, and keep me from dangers I might not see myself, or that I do see, but am too tempted to see reason.

What a loving picture this all portrays, even though it's meant to be for God, and it does make me have a new appreciation for Him, it also makes me have an appreciation for my husband, and how much of a job God has intrusted to Him to lead our marriage.