Someone recently presented me with this scenario:
You can receive a billion dollars today, but you have to divorce your spouse in order to receive it. What would you do?
I paused for a moment before answering the question. I began to reflect on all that I have shared with my husband over the past decade.
We’ve been married for five and a half years now, together for ten. In that span of time we’ve experienced amazing journeys together, including upward shifts in employment/finances, purchasing homes, traveling (pre-COVID-19), and even the birth of a now one-year-old.
But with just as many joyous moments shared, some tumultuous times have come as well: a year into dating, I had a myomectomy that has caused me to go from a size 6 to a size 12 in a matter of months; my father died eight months before our wedding; I had double-emergency surgery after our daughter’s birth, leaving me ridden to our downstairs sofa, unable to walk more than 1500 steps a day for two months while navigating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); after a year of recovering, we find out my mother has pancreatic cancer; four months later, my mother died in our home in my husband’s arms.
So, the answer I presented was simple for me – No! I wouldn’t trade the lifelong partnership I have with my husband for a billion dollars.
In Genesis 2:23 Adam says, “…This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:… –…and they shall be one flesh.” Let this verse remind you that marriage isn’t a temporary covenant but permanent in nature.
Romans 12:10 reminds us to,”Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” In this epistle, Paul charges us to allow the transformation we receive through salvation to renew our minds and propel us to a place where our gifts, talents/skills, and works are rooted in wisdom, service, diligence, and an innate spirit of love.
When we look at our spouse through this same lens, we can firmly say that no amount of money can cancel the spiritual covenant we have entered into, nor diminish the bond that God has set before us.
Author: Netta Stampley-Williams
Netta Stampley-Williams is a native Southern Californian, an altruist, lover of Christ, wife, and mother. She considers herself to be a domestic goddess and Renaissance Woman rolled into one, with experience as a Sr. Executive Administrative Assistant, adjunct professor of English, corporate meeting planner, pageant coach, mortgage underwriter, and published book editor. Presently, she leads a married couples small group with her husband and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Lambda Iota Omega Chapter.
Currently, she is the Middle School (grades 5-8) English Language Arts (ELA) teacher at a Christian academy in Stone Mountain, GA. Netta loves community engagement and is passionate about education and social activism, viewing her life as a mission of service. What others may view as a burden, she views as a blessing and opportunity to share God’s love.
Connect with Netta on IG: @nettassocali Or Personal Blog: The Scoot P and Netta Show
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
Luke 14:28
Though the billion sound good, it can never replace my wife. She is the most amazing and the second biggest blessing God gave me. First is His salvation. Loved your comment.
Well said! After all, can money buy true love–or just love of money? Thank you for sharing your compelling story with supporting scripture.
Beautiful well said from a virtuous woman. I have been married my whole adult life and no I wouldn’t take the money over my husband. Mrs. Netta I love you and pray Gods favor over you and your family.
Beautifully written! Unfortunately some couples don’t stay in the marriage long enough to see the beauty and the worth in a covenant. Thank you for your transparency!