I've grown to appreciate my husband's ways. He isn't the most romantic man. He doesn't leave me love notes, or bring me flowers very often. He doesn't pen love songs or poems in my honor. He does, however, go to a job every day, working long hard hours, and then each evening, he comes through the door with a smile on his face and open arms ready for an extended hug.
He is almost always available to look at the car after I've heard some strange noise, listen about my day even though sometimes, I don't even ask about his, eat my cooking and complement the meal, even if it's frozen pizza. He listens to me when I need to talk and has learned that there are times when I just need to be "heard," and not "fixed." He likes me best when I have no make-up on - when I am the most vulnerable and feeling the most unbecoming, his love is steady and constant.
He isn't known for whisking me away on some romantic weekend, but will gladly go once-in-awhile and appreciates it when I make the plans to do so. He doesn't often send flowers. As-a-matter-of-fact, he's sent me flowers maybe three times in twenty six years! He'd rather stay at home, in the back yard sitting next to the fire pit, rather than in a fancy restaurant. He prefers the simple. His expectations for me, therefore, are simple. He wants me to love him, to respect him.
He isn't the CEO of some big company, nor does he sit on the board of a prestigious organization. But, he diligently and quietly serves me, our children and our church body, week after week. He is a man behind the scenes and likes it that way. He doesn't walk with pride or arrogance, he is good with the fact that his identity is in Christ. He isn't concerned if anyone ever knows who he's served, what he's given, or what he's sacrificed - that's not why he serves. He serves because his heart longs to. He isn't looking for a return - it's simple - his heart is full of gratitude for what Christ has done for him and out of that love is an overflow of the heart, spilling out, through his actions....he loves his God and he loves his neighbor.
He doesn't take too much notice to what he wears, what he drives, or the size of his house, however, what the Lord has entrusted him with, he takes great strides to care for and maintain.He doesn't care if a man makes ten dollars or ten million dollars a year, he's able to see the heart. He isn't a man with an agenda of networking for his own gain.
I used to become frustrated with my husband and what I took for his lack of excitement and spontaneity, but I have grown to love his steady and humble ways. I have learned to appreciate his wisdom and the fact that he is discerning. If he were more like me: a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type, we probably wouldn't even own a home. It is good for me to have some one who will reel me in once in a while. He's careful not to stifle my creative spirit, but wise enough to stop me before a leap off a cliff. I may not have that many love notes collected in my special box, and I may not have romance driving my marriage, but it is a steady, real, Godly love that surrounds me. I have found something far better than romantic get-a-ways, expensive gifts, a dozen roses and words written on a piece of paper...I've found love that is real. It is transparent, it is sacrificial, it is rooted in truth, not emotion. It is a blessed gift from God.
