No More Left-Overs

I have been so very blessed by my husband. He is such a servant leader and he does so much to help me out with the kids and around the home. He is always willing to get up early with the kids to give me that extra few moments of precious sleep, or to do the evening clean up while I curl up on the couch and take a break. I suppose I have felt somewhat deserving of these "breaks" since I work so hard all day long with the kids and the house. And Jim is always full of understanding and support.

However, yesterday in my Bible study, one of our pastors spoke on loving your husband and though I thought I did this well, I was challenged in the way I go about loving Jim. We have always had a healthy marriage with a strong foundation, but I realized that I have taken this (and him!) for granted far too often. I saw how I too easily allow the business and exhaustion of raising our three little ones get in the way of sacrificially loving Jim in the way God calls me to. Knowing that we are completely committed to our marriage and family, that we adore one another, have fun together and have great communication has sometimes allowed me to overlook the daily things he needs from me. For example, I have often forgotten to greet him at the door with smiles and hugs when he returns home (something I vowed I'd always do) and have also not shown my appreciation enough for the hard work he does every day, for the benefit of our family. I also love to serve and frequently keep myself busy doing things for others, sometimes to the neglect of my own husband and his needs. It came to my realization that I too often gave him my left overs at the end of a busy day. It brought tears to my eyes as I thought of how patient and understanding my precious Jim has been with me as he continues to love sacrificially and serve without end. So, I am now praying that the Lord will give me the heart to love my husband in a more sacrificial way and to be much more conscious of the little things that I can do every day to show him my love and appreciation. I hope that in doing this, we can have an even more dynamic and fulfilling marriage relationship!