An Ode to My Husband

May I brag for just a second? Just for a second...I promise.

I have a huge crush on my husband. Huge. I love, love, love being married to him. It's bliss. Are things always flowery and Beaver Cleaver? No way. But, I sure do admire and respect him more and more as we have lived together these 7.5 months (and as he has lived with me!).

So, without further ado, an ode to my husband. He is man who...

1. is a friend to everyone, not just those who can offer him something or have an important status. I have seen him befriend and speak kindly about the lowliest and awkward of people, and people who are very different from him or don't share the same interests as him, either. I love this about him.

2. is not concerned with himself. He is selfless with a capital "S" and lives out Philippians 2:3, "counting others as more significant than himself." I have a lot to learn about this! Living with him helps.

3. does not allow negative or judgemental thoughts flow from his mouth. Ever. I'm serious.

4. sheds tears over sin. He is quick to look to the gospel, but, initially, his (and my sin, too) breaks his heart. I am thankful for a leader of our home who looks honestly at sin and then shepherds us to repentance.

5. likes organization and order, especially when it comes to our finances. Boy, is it a relief to have him in charge of this responsibility. I need limits, and, call me crazy, but I like knowing how much I can spend at the grocery store each week.

6. is diligent. If Scott commits to something, he is sure to finish. Let's say, for example, he volunteers to set up tables after church for a Fourth of July function and no one else shows up to help. He will set up all of the tables by himself without ever uttering a word of complaint (and while I sit in the car for 30 minutes waiting for him, thinking about what's for lunch). True story, by the way.

7. The best thing of all, though, is that if you were to ask him about any of these things, he would say it's the LORD who graciously puts anything good in him. He will tell you that there's nothing pure, righteous, noble, or wholesome about him; but that because Christ loved him first and the constant thinking on the cross, he is spurred along to do good things. This is my favorite of all and why I love him so.