A Spouse's Duty

Ephesians 5:22 "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord..."
Ephesians 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."

     Washing with water through the word... I believe this is a part of the verse that often gets missed.  I also believe that it is one of the most important verses in this whole passage.  The thought of 'word' meaning 'Jesus' did cross my mind, but I don't think that is correct.  The commentary in my Bible says that Paul paints a word picture: The truth of Scripture leads to a clean spirit just as water removes dirt from our bodies.  As we study and apply God's Word to our daily lives, we grow in holiness and purity.
     If the husband's job is to lead his family and love them the way Christ does the church, then doesn't that imply that the most important detail would be to raise them up in the Bible?  It's a very popular idea in the church that parents are to educate their children about what the Bible teaches.  This is great!  But how about spouses doing that for one another?
     The wife is to be a helpmate to her husband.  As a wife, I NEED to encourage my husband to BE IN THE WORD!  My husband is supposed to do the same thing for me.  When it says Jesus washes us in the word I take it to mean that Jesus pours out the words of God into our lives.  The husband should be loving the wife the way Jesus does.  Bible studies as couples, prayer time together, talking about what you've each been reading seperately, memorizing verses together - these are all ways to accomplish this.  We are to be a team.  We are to encourage each other in the Lord.  How are we accomplishing this?
      Sanctus Real's song, "Lead Me", is an awesome song about a husband who realizes his wife's needs and his children's needs in a new way.  He's discovering the man that God wants him to be to his family.  "Courageous" is a wonderful movie exemplifying these same things.  As a mom and wife I found myself challenged and encouraged also.

Lord, give me the discernment and wisdom to be the wife that you call me to be and the mom that you have designed me to be.  Give me courage to live for you and shine you to my family.