How are you at studying your spouse? I am thankful for growth in this area. One thing I have learned in my short 5 years of marriage is that each new phase in your lives together gives you a new glimpse into the heart of your spouse. When you first meet, you are learning at a rapid rate, but as the years go on, we sometimes stop paying attention. We miss wonderful opportunities to know all we could about the person we love most in this world.
During this transition of interviewing for a new job, accepting it, and moving across California all in about 8 weeks now, I have learned a lot about my husband and I am so thankful! In this same time period we have also sold one house (waiting for it to close escrow!) and found another and are in the process of purchasing it as well. We already miss our old home, but also are really excited to enter the phase of living in our new home, if the Lord wills. There have been many ups and downs and God has used my husband to keep this time much more stress-free than I could have imagined.
Here are some of the things I have learned about him as we have gone through this time.
1. He is a hard worker. He is faithfully working hard at the new job God has given him. He is trusting the Lord as he gets his “sea legs” so to speak and it is a blessing to behold.
2. He knows we are a team. When he has struggled to trust the Lord, He has told me so we could be in it as a team and I could encourage and pray for him. Even though I am not with him at the office, I get to be there as I pray for him each day while he is away.
3. He trusts the Lord. We have had many opportunities to become anxious during the sale of our home. He has been so faithful to bring me back to reality as I have struggled. He has helped me fix my eyes on Jesus so the things of earth would grow dim.
4. He doesn’t overreact. Have you ever thought that your husband’s silence meant he wasn’t doing anything to change the situation at hand? I have…through this season of time, I have learned that sometimes his silence means he is being patient and trusting the Lord. Sometimes he is processing the big picture. Sometimes he is praying before speaking. I have grown to love this about my husband and see how it beautifully balances my strong sense of urgency.
5. He can drive a 26 foot truck with a trailer attached! Sounds silly…but I would NEVER try this…and he did! Twice! And, then, proceeded to empty them out into our storage units. Amazing!
6. He values time to read. I knew this before, but ashamedly I have not always helped him to have this time. It really does help him recharge.
7. He loves me. I knew this too, but he has shown this to me in many ways during this season. I am growing to trust his love for me, even in the times when I am not very loveable.
8. When we (me, our daughter and our sons) are joyful, it brings him joy. I have known this as well, but through this period of time in close quarters, I have been able to observe it much more closely and it is a blessing to watch! His joy motivates me to pursue joy, even when I don’t feel like it.
9. He loves people. God has given him many opportunities to get to know new people these days and it is SO fun to watch him as he fellowships with others. It really is such a blessing.
10. He loves our family. It has been a joy to live in a 400 square foot hotel room with him and our children. He has sacrificed and been humble as our space is limited for this time period. And, he chose this…we could have been apart and in our old home until it closed Escrow, but together, we made a plan to be in the same place as a family…and I am SO thankful!
Of course, many of these things I realized, but my depth of understanding has grown through these last 8 weeks and I am so thankful! When I realize God’s goodness in this, it makes seasons such as these exciting to me. It helps me to realize that He is SO faithful and gives us what we need and not always what we want. God is so kind to do this. Had everything gone smoothly with this quick move, I would have missed out on knowing my husband even more deeply than I did and that would have been a shame. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy things going smoothly…that too is a blessing! But, what it does mean is that I can be thankful, even in the midst of bumps in the road, because God means them for our good and His glory!
Blessings!
