Dear Love,
I sit at the centre of the table,
I don’t talk a lot, I just add flavour,
Too much of me, they abhor,
Too little, they ask for more,
Mixed with warm water when the throat is sore,
Diffused in the air of every sea shore,
Yet they don’t speak of me a lot,
Ubiquitous seasoning but no complains, no fraught,
‘Cos the focus is on the flavour and not the agent,
I am there yet I remain latent
Strange, how Your love is like me,
You are always there still people don’t see,
Your love spoke life when you hung on that tree,
Yet the focus is on the wood,
not the love that set them free
Love that does not keep declaring it is good,
Rather attends the weary, the forsaken, the ones not understood,
Love unseen, yet pivotal,
Love unspoken yet remarkable,
Love that sees every pain,
Love infallible,
And just like me, You are there yet invisible,
Your love preserves and transforms,
From worthless to valuable.
Love,
The Table Salt
Footnotes:
Over the past couple of months, I have been interacting with a couple of my husband’s friends and their significant other. It was daunting the way some of them flaunted their relationship and the number of #couplegoals they have checked off the “great list of social media couple goals”. Although I am not big on showing off, I felt like I was way below on the list of the so-called “cool wives”. Among the lot, I heard one of them say, “My wife and I spend the weekends drinking and smoking hookah, she enjoys watching football with me; we are pretty much chill.” The others in the circle heard this and stood in awe. I even spotted a few smirking at their wives, probably thinking “why can’t my wife be cool?”—or maybe, I just have a really animated imagination. And then I looked at my husband, Justin—he stood there neutral, and when he spotted me looking, he made a goofy face.
When they left, I popped a question, “What is your definition of a cool wife?” Justin knew that this was coming—‘my infamous set of difficult questions.’ “Quick-witted, outgoing and independent”, he blurted out. He thought for a bit and asked me “What is your definition of a cool husband?” I pointed my finger at him and said “You!” and walked away with the feeling that I outsmarted him.
I thought about it for a bit and realised that “coolness” is not a mandatory requirement in a marriage. It is merely a factor to boast. There are so many parameters that the world has set for a “cool” wife and most of us fall prey or get one’s wife to fit in to those templates. What the world thinks is cool may not be the case when it comes to the Kingdom above.
What is important is God—the cord of three. He carefully and silently seasons our marriage perfectly—neither too much nor too little. A marriage does not sustain by our might and strength. We are imperfect beings who do imperfect things. But it is only when a perfect God comes into the picture that our marriage gets used for the glory of His name.
God loves marriages and what God loves, the enemy hates. And haters are going to hate and work against it all day long. Sometimes the attack comes from within the family as well. Be wary, the devil hovering around and your significant other like a roaring lion. One does not have to be the ideal spouse as per the standards of the world but make sure that you are in line with God and His Scripture.
Remember, the salt may not be the coolest ingredient but it sure is the most important one. It can make or break a dish. It does not boast but it adds flavour to all the dishes. In the same way, God does not boast but He quietly adds flavour to your marriage. Let go and let Him—you will see a breakthrough for sure. You may not be tagged “cool wife” or “cool husband” but you will always have a really cool God binding you and your spouse together with a cord that cannot be broken.