Tweet

I love being seen in public with my wife. Walking around with this sexy woman on my arm, I know people are looking and asking themselves, “How did he land her? She’s totally out of his league!”

Many Trophies

Now, my wife is like most women in that she struggles with self-confidence and body image problems, so naturally she doesn’t get it. But I love the idea of being any place where I can show her off.

I can show off her body at the beach, the park, the club, or the pool. We can have a backyard barbecue, go to an adults-only costume party, or have an all-night movie marathon in pajamas with close friends. Naturally, not everyone will be as enthralled with her as I am (in fact, I’d argue that no one could be) since tastes vary widely. Even the heroine of the Song of Songs feels inferior because she’s “let herself go” but that doesn’t change the fact that her beauty and desirability to her man is the true star of the Song. And like him, I still get to enjoy the view of my wife’s body and feel like a king.

But it’s not just my wife’s body I like to show off.

She is mind-bogglingly brilliant. Again, her confidence level would refute that statement with ironically well-thought-out arguments, but I know better. I love taking her places like museums where her mind can shine.

She’s got a natural competence to video games. One of my favorite early memories with her was playing with some of my guy friends years ago and having her kick all our butts, feminine giggles emanating all the while.

She’s even a pretty nerdy chick, though she tries to pretend she’s not. She can talk Doctor Who with the best, loves the idea of dressing up for Comic Con, knows more about the X-Men than I do, and likes Star Trek. Don’t let her lie to you. She really does. Just tell her that Captain Sisko was the best captain and see what happens.

She’s talented, she’s fun to be around, she’s loving, she’s intelligent, and she’s got an amazing rack. On some level, I just want to hoard her all to myself, but I can’t help but want to showcase my trophy wife at every opportunity. She doesn’t really even have to do much; she’s naturally just that awesome.

Even the Haters

Of course, some men would disagree. They prefer a woman who keeps her mouth shut and stays out of their way to one who could carry on an intellectual conversation and won’t hesitate to speak her mind. They want a girl who can tell the difference between a Corvette and a Camaro and a Mustang by the sound to one who knows the difference between a Cylon and Cyberman and a Sentinel at a glance. They’d rather have a woman who can do the splits than a woman who can do calculus.

That’s fine. In fact, in a way, it just makes me want to show her off even more. Some will look on with admiration and others simply won’t appreciate what I’ve got.

Why do I get a thrill from them both? What inflates me so when others get to see my wife for who she is and what she’s go to offer me? What in me loves parading my trophy wife?

The Glory of Man

I found the answer in an unlikely place: in the midst of a set of culture-specific instructions by Paul about head coverings in church (1 Corinthians 11). The specifics of the instruction in this passage are, in my opinion, highly irrelevant in our modern culture other than identifying the need for propriety based on cultural needs (see my post on Modesty in Dress) and the value of order in church services, but it contains a seriously profound nugget of timeless truth.

At the end of verse seven, Paul says, “the woman is the glory of man.”

The word doxa is translated as glory here, which is a very “very apparent” glory that delves into praise, dignity, and honor. I feel esteemed by the glorious nature of my wife because her glory is attributed to me.

That’s why she makes me look so good. Her very being — spirit, soul, and body — is praise for me. And it’s a testimony of God’s might, since I’m a shadow of His glory according to the first half of the same verse.

In other words, my wife’s awesomeness is counted as my own awesomeness (since we are one flesh, I assume), and any combined merit we have counts toward God’s awesomeness.

A Reflection of Me

The great part is that she’s a reflection of everything I love. She’s a curvy, ingenious, geeky, gifted woman of God, and each of her qualities tells of the things I love. So whether you love them or not, I’m dignified by them.

If one or more of her qualities speaks to your tastes, I’m admirable for being able to have someone so perfect choose me.

If one or more of her qualities do not speak to your tastes, her being the very perfect woman for me dignifies my own tastes as God’s stamp of approval, despite your disagreement. In effect, our different tastes lead you to say, “She’s not for me, but she’s oh so clearly made by God just for you.”

Either way, she’s my glory.

Either way, she’s my trophy.

Originally posted 2015-02-13 06:02:10.