Surprise! Guest Post #3

So, this guest post kind of just fell into my lap, but before I begin, I need to apologize to my wife for not telling her about it.  I would appreciate your help to quell her anger by commenting below about how great I am and how she should not be mad at me for not listening to her (which she doesn't do, and she won't get mad, but it sounded necessary to say for some comic relief).

The reason that it fell into my lap was because I was listening to a pastor on Christian radio this morning, and the idea came up about bragging about your husband.  The context was about how Christ is the bridegroom and we are His bride, and how we should never be ashamed to brag about Him whenever we get the chance.  I loved the analogy and idea of bragging about Christ.

So this got me thinking about my relationship with my wife. 

It is said that if you want to know what scares a person, look at what they do to scare other people.  If you want to know what angers someone, or upsets someone, look at what they do to upset or anger someone else.  I believe that the same goes for positive aspects of a relationship as well.  If you want to know what makes someone happy, look at what they do to make you happy.  Maybe they give you a card every once in a while, or text you a song lyric about love, or whatever it may be.  They do those things because that is what they would want to happen to them to make them happy.

If you're still following my train of thought, I applaud you as my tangents get pretty wild.

With these two ideas combined, I was thinking about how great I would feel if I found out that my wife was bragging about me to her friends, family, etc.  She does this from time to time, letting me know that 'I told my mom how nice it was that you cooked dinner for me!', or 'I was telling my friends how much I like that thing that you built!', or anything along those lines.  It makes me feel like the king of the world.

By applying my theory about doing to others the same things that affect you, I am going to brag about my wife.

She somehow continues to have patience even after she has been dealing with the same things all day: diaper changes, potty training mishaps (which are my kryptonite), food being thrown, carseats, strollers, shopping (but some days never leaving the house), getting breakfast/juice/snack/milk/lunch/juice/snack/dinner ready every day, doing dishes that are mounded on dishes, sweeping at least three times a day between mountains of laundry (I probably produce about 60% of the house's dirty clothes), packing diapers/drinks/snacks/toys everywhere she goes, etc.  All of this and she still finds time to take the girls outside and play in the pool or go for a walk.  Not to mention the fact that she is growing another baby inside of her. 

For me, patience is a perfect example of love.  Christ is patient with all of us, and therefore we need to lead by His example to other people and demonstrate patience towards others.  Kate does a fantastic job of this, and I think that I am the greatest beneficiary of her patience.

Paul was thinking of me when he told the Colossians: "Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart."  I think that I get so worked up and worried that my daughters are not going to grow up to be everything that I know that they can be, and at times I need to look to my wife for guidance to help me see them through a different set of eyes.

Our kids truly do not know how lucky they are to have a mother like the one that they have who does everything with them in mind.  One day they might get a glimmer of it when they have their own children, but until then, Kate will continue to quietly be a fantastic mother and role model to not only our children, but to everyone else around her.  My work ethic pales in comparison because physical strain and stress is nothing compared to the mental battles that she fights every day doing the best she can surrounded by a three and a one year old.

I could continue on, but blog posts are supposed to be short, so I'll leave you with this:  Please continue to pray for Kate, the kids, the new baby, and myself as we journey through this excitingly unpredictable life.  Things don't have to be bad in order to pray, as Paul told us to "devote yourselves to prayer" and talked about Epaphras "always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers".

Sincerely,

Bretski