who he's become

You ever get really frustrated with your spouse for the things they don't do? Me neither. My husband's perfect.  (Maybe I should end the post right there, pat myself on the back, and not delve into troubled waters. I'm pretty sure my husband reads most of my blog posts!)

But to be honest, yes, I do get annoyed with my husband once in a while (and you're lying if you deny this about your spouse). Today was not one of those days, though.  So really, where am I going with this...

Today's gift of survival: appreciating your spouse for who they have become.  This was a lesson my husband taught me pretty early on in our wedded bliss.  Sometimes I would get pretty fed up with some petty little thing that he was not fulfilling in his "husband duties":  "Well, why can't you read my mind?" and: "Did you really just leave your shoes in the middle of the room?" and even: "You ate the last piece of chocolate and didn't offer it to me?".

Sometimes these truly insignificant things would lead into hefty arguments about bigger and better issues.  You know, the irritations that have been building up for days! Weeks, even!! 

So here's the lesson from my husband: quit looking forward to the perfect man you want me to be and take a look at just how far I've come! And you know what? When you look at things from that perspective, it changes everything. Looking back on the 11+ years we've been married, my husband has grown immensely - not quite perfect, but he has matured in so many areas of his life.  And I am SO grateful for the man God has made him to be!

Here's how I was reminded of it today: This evening he not only cleared off the kitchen table after dinner, but cleaned all the dishes.  When I came back downstairs, the dishwasher was running, the counter and table were cleaned off AND he had swept the entire kitchen floor!!

And that gives me hope for our future. All those little irritations  might possibly change - maybe he will become a mind-reader!  Or maybe not.  But I will say that he no longer leaves his shoes in the middle of floor when he takes them off.  And I do admit that I have let go of most of the petty issues. Now we save our arguments for bigger things: "Must you always leave your empty coffee mug in front of the microwave door?"