His Banner Over Me is Love

The outside of my wedding band is imprinted with these words: “His banner over me is love.” It comes from the book of Song of Solomon in the bible that is filled with the language of love. I have always cherished having this on my ring as a constant visual reminder of the love that God has for me and the way that is reflected in the love that Chris has for me. I was looking at my ring this weekend and thinking about Valentine’s Day, and the meaning of that phrase deepened.

Chris and I started officially dating on Valentine’s Day; not intentionally, mind you, but that’s just how it happened. I find it funny now because I do not tend to be the overly sappy, sentimental type, but from now until forever I have an anniversary to celebrate on Valentine’s Day, the 'sappiest' of all holidays. From a practical perspective, we had a whirlwind romance…dated for four months and were married four months after that. But, when I think about it now and look at the journey we each took, it was a romance that was in the works long before we even met. Chris and I both had a lot of bumps along the way getting to one another, yet in hindsight all of it leads to US.

If you know Chris, you know he lives life passionately. He is gregarious and full of life about anything and everything. You can see and hear his passion for history, politics, theology, sports, food, etc. There are few things in Chris’ life that are not lived out with full abandon. Love is like that for him too. Chris loves with all he has whether that is his friends, his boys or me. Chris loves passionately. Because of some of those aforementioned bumps in the road, that all-out love hasn’t always been easy for me to accept in its entirety. I have at times been wary, cautious or have tried to downplay the intensity of his love just in case I ever lost it.

Then, I look down at my ring and see “His banner over me is love.” Those are more than just nice words; they are truth in our marriage. Chris has eagerly strived to cover me with a banner of love. He is my signpost in a large banquet hall, directing me straight to him so that he can nourish and strengthen me. He is my confidence and stronghold in the peaks and valleys of life.

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder which is probably true, but I have seen enough of the opposite to not take that for granted. In the absence of Chris, I feel strengthened because he has covered me with a banner of love all the years prior to this time apart. What an amazing gift this Valentine’s Day to know that I am loved and cherished beyond what I can even fully grasp. It’s not that I have forgotten his little annoyances or the ways that we can rub one another the wrong way; it is that even with those things, love overrides them in abundance.

Chris has loved me so well and so consistently over the years, I am able to have confidence through his deployment. Not just that he will still love me when he returns, but the overall confidence and contentment that comes just from knowing I am fully loved. His banner over me, his protection, passion, care, playfulness, patience, is LOVE. <Deep contented sigh>

I am so blessed, so overwhelmed at the gift of his love, and so joyful knowing with full confidence (that has been a long time coming) that I have his heart.

So…Bring on the sappy! Happy Dating Anniversary, my love! Happy Valentine’s Day! I love you with all my heart; thank you for loving me so well and covering me with a banner of love!