Why I Love My Husband

My friend Amanda over at: I Am Mommy borrowed an idea from another blogger and I love it! So often you read women bashing their husband's, sharing why you should dislike him as much as they do at that MOMENT. It often is honestly rather heartbreaking. I think it's so important to be careful of male bashing as a whole, especially if you're a mother of boys. Everytime I'm tempted to bash my husband or read it I think, "how would I feel if a woman was saying that about one of my son's?" Let me tell you, I'd be fit to be tied. I NEVER want a woman to talk ugly about Jacob or Jackson. It's just some food for thought.

So in the spirit of lifting up my husband here's my list!

1. I love my husband for the man he is to me. He loves me with his whole heart and truly adores me and that is an amazing feeling...to be loved!
2. I love my husband for the father he is. He did not have a father growing up, but that has not ever detered him from being the best dad I could have EVER asked for my children to have.
3. I love my husband that he's willing to put his own life at risk for others. He's more than just a Patriot, he's a soldier who literally goes out there and puts it out on the lines!
4. I love my husband for the way he loves GOD. He knows who he is in Christ and doesn't question that. To have such assurance is awesome to witness and a great example.
5. I love that my husband is finding that one of his many gifts is working in the children's ministry! To see him interacting with a variety of children and them responding so sweetly to him is awesome!
6. I love that my husband loves to travel as much as I do!
7. I love that my husband's desire to be with our family is greater than going out with his friends.
8. I love that my husband is handy around our home and with cars. I can do many things around the house, but not with vehicles! He's a man's man!
9. I love that my husband loves his job! He's a soldier, nuff said!
10. I love that my husband wants me to find things that make me happy!
11. I love that my husband has seen that God's will for our family is up to GOD and not up to us! (Trust me that's HARD submission in today's society!!)
12. I love the way my husband holds me and makes me feel as protected phsyically as the Lord makes me feel protected spiritually.
13. I love that my husband is strong enough to argue with me, especially when I "think" I'm right!
14. I love that my husband is adventerous!
15. I love that my husband feels as strongly about homeschooling our children as I do and supports us 100%!
16. I love that my husband supports me breastfeeding (and extended bf) our babies and GETS why it's so important!
17. I love the way my husband still longs for our daughter Jordyn, as much as I do.
18. I love that my husband is such a strong example to our boys.
19. I love that my husband is such a strong and gentle example to our daughter(s).
20. I love that he can grill and will cook if I'm not in the mood!
21. I love when my husband comes home from a deployment and wraps me in his arms as tight as he possibly can and isn't afraid to let the tears of joy fall from his eyes!

So join in. Tell the world why you love your husband. It can be a list of 5 things or 100, just tell us what it is about him that makes you so blessed that he is your husband! I also urge you to share your list with your husband, just so he knows why he's so special to you! Let me know if you have joined in, I'd love to read some kind things about others husband's too!

Stepping outside my box

God seems to never leave us alone, if he's not right there teaching us a lesson, he's showing us one through someone else (which in turn is still teaching, but hopefully you understand what I mean). I am in constant awe of what he's done in my life. As far as I know I've not shared too much of myself here, not like I should have been doing from the get go, so here goes.



I was wild, I mean wild as a teenage girl. I had the ability to be a sweet girl, but I liked having fun, I was searching for something/one to make me feel whole, and looked for it in ALL the wrong places. I wanted and needed someone who I barely had a relationship with. Growing up, I did not go to church. My parents didn't go, although they each were raised in church themselves, instead of compromising and finding a church they both could agree on, and raising my brother and I to know and love the Lord, they just decided not to go. I didn't know the true meaning of Easter until I was a preteen. I knew who God was very loosely, knew that Jesus had died for me, but definately didn't get it completely, and was doing anything but living for him. Satan had me in his hand and was doing all he could to keep his grip on me.



Then I met Chad. We became friends, married, and had our oldest daughter and such desperation for her to know the Lord overcame me. We had just started attending church on a regular basis when she was dx with AML leukemia. I still did not know the Lord, I thought I did, but I had absolutely NOT given my whole heart to him. I prayed like I never had though when Jordyn was dx and my relationship with him grew and became deeper and deeper. I truly thought I was where I was supposed to be, but I was not. I had no doubts though and I was a believer and knew Jordyn was with him when he called her home on that fateful day of May 8, 2000. As grief took hold of me, my desperation to know him more became more and more powerful. I read the bible more and more, I sought after him like I never had. I was desperate to know the one who now held my first born, my sweet little girl, Jordyn. November of 2001 as I sat at my computer, much like I am now, I gave all my heart to him. I sat with my head down, weeping and praising him. He had all of my heart for the first time and I did NOT want it back. I wanted him to have all of me and I felt like for the first time I was truly knowing him. My friends, if you've never experienced God in that way, I pray you will one day and if you do know him, you get what I'm talking about.



What I didn't get at that point though was that even men that belonged to him, who are here to help lead us to him, sometimes still don't get it. I remember two days later going to my then pastor and sharing with him that I'd given my life to the Lord and he just looked at me and said "that's good" and nothing. I was on FIRE and wanted to be used and nothing. Shortly after that my neighbor invited me to the church she was attending and the moment I walked in I knew God had just led me "home". He put our family with people who wanted to use me for his greater good, who wanted to share his truth's with me. He surrounded me with love and accountability. Let me tell you, if you are surrounded with fellow Christians, you should have both of those, they're equally important. You need to feel loved, but you also need to feel accountable for your words and actions.



Now 6 1/2 yrs later I'm a woman still seeking God's desires and yes demands for my life. I want to please him like I want to please no other. I find myself more often than I like, falling into worldly traps. The fact of the matter is though, that nothing in this world that is of material value has any worth to our Lord. The kind of woman I am, the kind of wife I am, the kind of mother, friend, sister, daughter...those are what matters. Most important the kind of Child of his is most important.



Do you know what the Lord had planned for you? Do you seek him, desire him? Are you glorifying him in your words as well as your actions? I urge you to pray on this:



2 Corinthians 6:2

"For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you."* I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. "



Today is it. We don't know what tomorrow holds for a single one of us. If you're making decisions that do not please the Lord today, tomorrow does not matter a single bit. You don't know if you even have tomorrow. You could wake up and be in his presence and then what? Today is it. We are to be the women (and men) who he created us to be right now. The words coming out of our mouths must be righteous unto the Lord. The actions we carry out. How do you glorify God?

If you're a Christian and your neighbor is not, how are you showing them the Lord? Are you smiling at them, being kind to them, even if they're ugly. Are you showing them Christ or are you showing them your ugly side? Are you building fences or opening gates? Today is the day. Quit putting it off and step outside of your box, out of your comfort level and do as God has comanded you.