Trust me, I Have Not Earned Your Dear Rebuke by Christina Rossetti

Trust me, I have not earned your dear rebuke,

I love, as you would have me, God the most;

Would lose not Him, but you, must one be lost.

Nor with Lot's wife cast back a faithless look

Unready to forego what I forsook;

This say I, having counted up the cost,

This, tho'I be the feeblest of God's host,

The sorriest sheep Christ shepherds with His crook.

Yet while I love my God the most, I deem

That I can never love you overmuch;

I love Him more, so let me love you too;

Yes, as I apprehend it, love is such

I cannot love you if I love not Him.

I cannot love Him if I love not you.

One of my favorite love poems I have ever read. After I became a fan of Rossetti a friend bought me the small copy of her works published by Everyman's Pocket Poet edition.

I discovered this poem browing through the collection.  As a Christian I have often been told that I should not love my husband more than God. I've always had a hard time understanding what that meant. When reading this poem, it all made sense. Now i have this poem to pass on to others, yes, the more i love my husband, the more i love God.