Reason #712
Made it through Ruth. I was telling my Sunday school class that I was trying to read the bible through in a year, and that I was really far behind. Of course, the year started in August so if we're basing it off of that, I'm not on pace. They suggested that I just set it my goal for this year, that way, I'll already be ahead. At any rate, I'm getting there. Ruth made it easy for me. Four little chapters, and that's all she wrote (although I'm sure it was a "he" who wrote it). But those four chapters pack a big punch and although I've read through Ruth multiple times, I always find new treasures within those pages.
I thought about my husband as I sat at work counting down the minutes until 5:00. It's hard to get back into the routine after the holidays, so the work days seem to be extra long right now. Every day, after lunch, I always get excited because I am half way closer to being home for the day. We don't really do a whole lot of exciting things in the evenings, but I always enjoy my time with Aaron no matter what's going on. I count myself blessed in that nature. And more than that, blessed that I get to spend every evening with him.
Growing up, you have this idea of what your husband will be like. If we're being honest, a lot of us have a checklist. On Sunday, our pastor made a comment about spiritual blessings versus tangible blessings. He noted that we often tie tangible blessings to God and overlook the spiritual blessings in life, when in reality, the spiritual blessings are the best kind because they are lasting. It's these blessings that don't fade away or wear out. And I thought about how so many of us look for tangible things in a husband. We want someone who is handsome, someone who is well off, someone who has made a name for himself. A man with influence and power, someone who will make us look good. We want a husband who can provide for us, or better yet, provide for our lavish lifestyles. One who will keep the dough coming in so we can enjoy the fruits of his labor. We want a husband who is a mind reader, who possess all sort of crazy little talents, and who thinks, talks, and processes like we do. And many of us hold out exactly for these things, not willing to "bend" to someone who doesn't match that list. We wait because we know what we want and we tend to overlook the spiritual blessings. But truth be told, when it all comes down to it, those lists are usually shallow and subject to change. And, as with all things tangible, they'll fade and then what do you have to hold on to?
Ruth hit the jackpot. I don't know if Boaz was good looking or not, but I know he was well off, well known, and influential. Ruth could have thrown herself at Boaz's feet thinking she won the lottery, thinking that she was set for life now and could have whatever she wanted, but notice she didn't do that. In fact, she continuously noted the kindness he showed her. That was what actually impressed her. She talked about how he treated her, and it is obvious that Boaz was a man of great character. He praised Ruth for what she had done, not for how she looked. He noticed her caring heart and her generosity and that's what drew him to her. And I thought about how we get it wrong. We look at the Prince Charming's of the world as our desired suitors rather than the Boaz's. We dream up a magical man rather than a Godly man, and then our hearts are broken when Prince Charming doesn't turn out to be so charming. We don't understand, he seemed so nice. But there's a difference between nice and Godly, and often times the charming doesn't care to possess that link.
Well, you can go ahead and roll your eyes at this next statement, but I feel like Ruth. I feel like I hit the jackpot and somehow married myself a Prince Charming and Boaz rolled into one. But I look at what's important, at what really matters in life, and I realize that my 13 year-old-girl list was leaning more towards the fairytale versus the ever-after. Because it's the ever-after that matters. That's when you see those spiritual blessing shine through: loyalty, character, honesty, trust, faithfulness, servanthood, forgiveness, patience, provision, protection, unconditional love, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and Godliness. And if you have the love of a man who possess such qualities, you are beyond blessed. Who cares how much is in his bank account, how educated he is, how big his muscles are or how nice his car is. As long as you've got someone who loves you for you, who will stay by your side through the thick and thin, who is on your team, and who will stand up and lead you closer to Christ, you've got it made.
And so I praise God for giving me a husband will a lot of tangible blessings that my heart desired, but more than that, for giving me a husband with all of the spiritual blessings that my heart needed. For making sure I got paired up with someone who possessed the important stuff versus the worldly stuff. Because it makes for a sweeter marriage, I'll tell you. And, it makes life's journey a lot easier, as well. There's no richer blessing than to be able to spend your life with someone who will help you grow closer to the Lord, because the closer we get to Him, the better it gets.
#712 - For the spiritual blessings.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." - Ephesians 1:3
I thought about my husband as I sat at work counting down the minutes until 5:00. It's hard to get back into the routine after the holidays, so the work days seem to be extra long right now. Every day, after lunch, I always get excited because I am half way closer to being home for the day. We don't really do a whole lot of exciting things in the evenings, but I always enjoy my time with Aaron no matter what's going on. I count myself blessed in that nature. And more than that, blessed that I get to spend every evening with him.
Growing up, you have this idea of what your husband will be like. If we're being honest, a lot of us have a checklist. On Sunday, our pastor made a comment about spiritual blessings versus tangible blessings. He noted that we often tie tangible blessings to God and overlook the spiritual blessings in life, when in reality, the spiritual blessings are the best kind because they are lasting. It's these blessings that don't fade away or wear out. And I thought about how so many of us look for tangible things in a husband. We want someone who is handsome, someone who is well off, someone who has made a name for himself. A man with influence and power, someone who will make us look good. We want a husband who can provide for us, or better yet, provide for our lavish lifestyles. One who will keep the dough coming in so we can enjoy the fruits of his labor. We want a husband who is a mind reader, who possess all sort of crazy little talents, and who thinks, talks, and processes like we do. And many of us hold out exactly for these things, not willing to "bend" to someone who doesn't match that list. We wait because we know what we want and we tend to overlook the spiritual blessings. But truth be told, when it all comes down to it, those lists are usually shallow and subject to change. And, as with all things tangible, they'll fade and then what do you have to hold on to?
Ruth hit the jackpot. I don't know if Boaz was good looking or not, but I know he was well off, well known, and influential. Ruth could have thrown herself at Boaz's feet thinking she won the lottery, thinking that she was set for life now and could have whatever she wanted, but notice she didn't do that. In fact, she continuously noted the kindness he showed her. That was what actually impressed her. She talked about how he treated her, and it is obvious that Boaz was a man of great character. He praised Ruth for what she had done, not for how she looked. He noticed her caring heart and her generosity and that's what drew him to her. And I thought about how we get it wrong. We look at the Prince Charming's of the world as our desired suitors rather than the Boaz's. We dream up a magical man rather than a Godly man, and then our hearts are broken when Prince Charming doesn't turn out to be so charming. We don't understand, he seemed so nice. But there's a difference between nice and Godly, and often times the charming doesn't care to possess that link.
Well, you can go ahead and roll your eyes at this next statement, but I feel like Ruth. I feel like I hit the jackpot and somehow married myself a Prince Charming and Boaz rolled into one. But I look at what's important, at what really matters in life, and I realize that my 13 year-old-girl list was leaning more towards the fairytale versus the ever-after. Because it's the ever-after that matters. That's when you see those spiritual blessing shine through: loyalty, character, honesty, trust, faithfulness, servanthood, forgiveness, patience, provision, protection, unconditional love, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and Godliness. And if you have the love of a man who possess such qualities, you are beyond blessed. Who cares how much is in his bank account, how educated he is, how big his muscles are or how nice his car is. As long as you've got someone who loves you for you, who will stay by your side through the thick and thin, who is on your team, and who will stand up and lead you closer to Christ, you've got it made.
And so I praise God for giving me a husband will a lot of tangible blessings that my heart desired, but more than that, for giving me a husband with all of the spiritual blessings that my heart needed. For making sure I got paired up with someone who possessed the important stuff versus the worldly stuff. Because it makes for a sweeter marriage, I'll tell you. And, it makes life's journey a lot easier, as well. There's no richer blessing than to be able to spend your life with someone who will help you grow closer to the Lord, because the closer we get to Him, the better it gets.
#712 - For the spiritual blessings.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." - Ephesians 1:3