A Birthday Ode: 23 Things I Love About My Husband

On Sunday, my dear husband turns #23. So, in celebration here is a list of 23 things I love about this man!

1. I love how he listens to the Holy Spirit. This is something I picked up on early in our relationship and that made me confident in marrying him. I know that if the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding him and if he is obedient to the leading and guiding, then I am in such good hands. I know that I can trust his actions to the Holy Spirit and that rather than nag, I can pray and let the Holy Spirit do his work. I know that even when he suggests something that seems foreign to me, that if he says he feels like the Lord is urging him to do this, then that likely is the case. And I have seen the fruits of that time and time again. Which is incredibly reassuring and comforting!
   
   
2. I love that he is my very best friend and makes me feel so perfectly comfortable. This was one of the things I recognized early on that made me fall in love with him so quickly. I felt like he understood me so well that I could tell him anything.
   
   
3. I love when he tells me, "Everything is going to be OK." I am easily swayed by worries and anxieties, whether it's over big things (finding jobs, paying bills) or little things (did I say the right thing to that friend? will the package arrive on time?). And no matter the size of the worry, he will always come alongside me, wrap me in a hug and tell me, "Everything is going to be OK. Now you say it." And he makes me repeat that phrase until my faith is bolstered and my worries quelled.
   
   
4. I love that he isn't a worrier and shows me what it means to trust God with our future, finances and circumstances. He is such a balance to my worry-wort tendencies and has such a healthy perspective on the possibilities of what the future holds. He teaches me by example in so many ways!
   
   
5. I love that he makes us breakfast every morning, without fail. It's so relaxing to wake up and ease into the morning, knowing your sweet husband is busy boiling the water for oatmeal and coffee and you don't have to do a thing.
   
   
6. I love that he reads his Bible first thing every day. Every morning when we get up, just before he starts our breakfast, I can look into the kitchen and see him with his Bible open as he scribbles notes down on paper. Morning after morning, this routine never fails, and it's so inspiring for me to see that habit and discipline exemplified day after day, because it is one I personally struggle with greatly. (Yet another reason why he's such a great role model!)
   
   
7. I love that he is such an academic and devours books like chocolate. If you look at his nightstand, it is stacked tall with various books he's reading at any given time, and they're all way over my head. He loves biblical commentary, deep theological musings, challenging social writings. And he's always enthusiastically sharing what he's learning, even when  they're the littlest details that no one else might bat an eye at. I hope our children inherit  that trait from him, especially in regards to their faith.
   
   
8. I love that he loves to ride his bike and go running. While I love the outdoors, I love it without sweat dripping down my back. My sport of choice is walking. But my husband enjoys pushing his muscles and biking to the gym or even doing some yoga in the living room. Do you know how much that makes me smile to see him enjoying exercising and being fit?
   
   
9. I love that he will randomly start talking in funny accents. It makes me crack up every single time, and I hope he never grows too old for that.
   
   
10. I love that he loves his family so very much and really cares about being a good role model to his little brothers. Those are the things that made me realize, early on, how great of a dad he will be someday, and I'm honored that someday our children will be so fortunate to have him to look up to.
    
    
11. I love that he will pray for me whenever I ask, even if it's just because of a tummy ache. It makes me feel so well-cared-for when he takes even my smallest requests seriously. And I always feel better and more at peace after he prays for me! Which shouldn't be surprising, given that the Bible tells us, "The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and accomplish much."
    
    
12. I love that he loves cleaning and is more often than not the one wielding the broom in our apartment. I mean, who wouldn't love that?!
    
    
13. I love that he cares about social justice and "the least of these" so very much. It's so easy for us to care for the people who love us back, but to care for complete strangers is much more telling about the state of our heart. And so when I see him giving freely to those who ask, taking time to talk to the homeless men in our neighborhood and looking them in the eye, it convicts me of my own selfishness and inspires me to remember the truth in Jesus' words about what it means to serve him.
    
    
14. I love that he takes his role as a husband and someday-father so seriously. I knew early on that he would make a great father. And knowing that, I knew I could trust that he'd make a great husband. Which he certainly has!
    
    
15. I love that he laughs at my jokes and the silly songs and dances I make up. It's one of my favorite things to do, really: To try to get him to laugh. And when I succeed, it's such a good, satisfying feeling. Even if I do have to make a fool of myself in the process!
    
    
16. I love that he is so supportive about me and this blog of mine. There are often times when he'll say, "You should blog about that!" or "You should post this recipe on your blog!" or he'll grab the camera to take some photos and suggest putting them up on the blog. Sometimes I feel silly for having an online hobby like blogging, but his support and encouragement means the world to me.
    
    
17. I love that he never complains about my cooking, even when it is a disaster! He never the one to suggest that a recipe failed. If I ask him what he thinks, he'll volunteer that it's OK, but he'll never be the one to say it's gross and barely edible. (Remember the polenta incident?)
    
    
18. I love that he serves our church in so many ways. As I see my husband volunteering to run sound on Sundays, stay late to make sure everything's working perfectly oversee the Welcoming Ministry, come in on Saturdays to help clean up the grime and the dirt of the church, or play bingo with the elderly folks at our local nursing home, I am so aware of how great a servant's heart he has and lives out in the most unassuming and humble of ways.
    
    
19. I love that he is such a hard worker. The other night, he started making flash cards to remember different Starbucks drinks.  Or for running sound at our church, he has been reading info and watching videos online and going in on Saturday to make sure all the wires and amps are hooked up just so. All because he wants to make sure that he does the best job possible. It's such a good, solid work ethic and one that I can surely stand to learn from myself!
    
    
20. I love that he prays for us at every meal and every night before we go to bed. That he takes these routine prayers so seriously. Especially because I too often fall asleep in the middle of our bedtime prayers!
    
    
21. I love that he always forgives me so effortlessly. Sometimes I'm so surprised at how easily and effortlessly he'll say, "Yes, I forgive you," without holding a grudge or bringing it up ever again or even showing signs of offense. He has such a good heart and treats me so well--even when I don't deserve it!
    
    
22. I love that he never gets tired of hearing or saying, "I love you." Because I never get tired of it either!
    
    
23. I love him for so many more reasons, which I keep discovering day after day.
    

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