He Loves Jesus More Than Me

It was a simple picture really.
I guess some would say it was actually quite sweet. Guy and gal, wrapped in a blanket near a roaring fire. He is kissing her forehead. Yada yada....I see these types of pictures all the time on Pinterest, so I rarely even notice them. But the caption on this picture jumped out at me and caught my eye. It said, "I want someone who loves Jesus more than me."
Sweet.
And true. I would really like to have someone who loves Jesus more than me.
But something about the picture just bothered me. I couldn't place what it was until I was on my way to church listening to K-love. They were talking about a Pastor in Iran who has been in prison for almost a year.  He has remained faithful to the Lord and has been sharing the gospel with other inmates in the prison. His wife and three children continue to live life without him. His wife said that they miss him very much and they want him back, but she is proud of her husband because his love for Christ is greater than his love for her. Her husband is in prison, away from her, away from his own children, because his love for Christ is greater than his love for any other person.
This is a woman who has a husband that loves Jesus more than her.
This is a woman who sees life a little differently than cuddly campfires.
This is a woman who must live and raise three children on her own because her husband loves Jesus more.

Sometimes, I think in our dreamy states of longing for that godly significant other, we young ladies forget to actually think about what we're dreaming of. After hearing that story I had to ask myself, "Would I really be a wife willing to sacrifice her husband for the sake of him loving Jesus more?" It would be excruciatingly hard. It would be painful. But the truth is, I can't follow a man that doesn't love Jesus more. I need a man that puts Christ first and foremost in his life. And if that means I might lose my man, then I pray that God will give me the strength to endure.

Pinterest is great. I love it. I love the sweet quotes that I see on there all the time. But I think perhaps we should switch out some of the mushy picture. What we really need is to be seeing and thinking about the truth behind the lines. Instead of sappy campfire pictures, we need a picture of a poor mother, struggling to raise her family and follow the Lord as her husband sits in prison for loving Jesus more.
That would be a bit more accurate.


And just as a side note, this is absolutely nothing against any of the people that pinned that picture. This is completely my own little thought process. :-)