I love my wife!
My brother sports a bumper sticker on his truck that says, "I love my wife!" Every time I see it I'm reminded that I need to get me one of those, because it is so true for me.
Today is my wife's birthday and she deserves more than I could ever give her. Thank God that He will some day reward her for all that she truly deserves.
Working at Zeke's so much and so unexpectedly (Michael landing a sweet job so quickly) has caused me to think of all the things that make Kristen so dear to me... the things that drew me to her in the first place are the things that attract me to her still.
In summary, Kristen is faithfully committed to Christ. No post-modern artistic spin necessary.
I remember Kristen being one of those faithful few that would be at everything the student group/ church was doing. Weekly meetings, special events, spring break outreaches, summer LTs... you name it, she was there. You could depend on it. I think that is what first caught my eye about her.
She also was unpretentious. She did not need attention or position to validate her. She faithfully served behind the scenes and, if she had to, in the lime light. Whatever the need was... whatever was asked of her she did. You could always turn to her to meet a need. Helping me with a pizza fund-raiser was one of the first things we did together that really revealed her servant's heart to me.
Kristen embodied the true spirit of sacrifice and love. Even though she was never a "girly girl" as Savana puts it... she embraced the feminine role that God lovingly made her for. Even though she isn't the domestic type, she willingly walked into the job of mother, cook, and care-giver. Even though she would rather spend time alone enjoying simple pleasures like a Cubs game on TV or a mind-puzzle on the computer, she deals daily with a non-stop social life as a pastor's wife of 6 kids in a non-stop ministry.
I have a nightmare ever so often that I wake up to find that Kristen has had enough of me and the ministry and we get divorced. When I wake up, I realize it's an irrational fear erupting out of an unbelief that God has blessed me with such a beautiful Proverbs 31 woman. From the day we met, to the day we fell in love, to today- Kristen is faithfully committed to Christ... and I love her deeply for that.
Happy Birthday Honey!