Proverbs 4:18-19 says:

Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated always in her love.

And though one could certainly take this too far by placing his wife on such a high pedastal that he worships her rather than loves her, I don’t think that is an error that is too commonplace in our day.  The fact is, very few men are intoxicated (drunk, in a stupor, mesmerized) with their wives.  What is more typical is the husband who finds his wife as nothing more than a companion, a friend, a roommate.

Now I know this isn’t only the husband’s fault.  At times, wives too assume that a husband enjoys them and by such assumption, lose any desire to lead her husband towards such intoxication.  I know a woman who when married, rarely cared for herself personally, and thus cared nothing about her physical appearance.  But once she and her husband divorced, she did all she could to look attractive again.  How tragic that it took divorce to create a desire for the woman to be attractive for a man. (This certainly applies to men too who also fall into the category of apathetic husband when it comes to physical appearance and dress).

However, husbands still have no excuse, regardless of the woman’s efforts.  Notice in this Proverb, the father tells the son that he is to ‘rejoice in the wife of your youth,’ and the father does not qualify when he is to rejoice.  In other words, even when they are both old and gray, the husband should still be intoxicated by her love.  Thus, it’s not the physical beauty that intoxicates (though I don’t think that’s a reason for women to simply be indifferent about their appearance towards their husbands), but the love they shared while they were young.  This love should grow and should be so dynamic as the years pass, that the husband simply can’t help but feel punch drunk with such love.  And this love is based on each other’s pursuit of Christ and their desire to love one another in view of His love for us (cf. Eph 5:21f.).

I can honestly say that this is how I feel towards my wife, Shua.  Today, my in-laws took my kids to camp, and I just couldn’t help but be mesmerized by my wife.  She looks more beautiful today than the day we were married (I have told her that numerous times and I really mean it).  I’ve never been drunk with alcohol (I think) in my life, but I really do believe that I have been and am drunk in my wife’s love.  I hope you feel intoxicated by your wife.  It beats any buzz that alcohol, drugs, work, money, or any other woman could ever give you.