Today is Thanksgiving. It is also my husband's birthday.
That is an incredible juxtaposition of events.
It makes me tremendously thankful for this man that I am thankful for anyway.
So this morning I listed 30 things I am thankful for in my husband. (Otherwise known as "30 Reasons Why I Love Tim.")
Your spouse may not have a birthday today, but let me encourage you to do the same things for them. Surprise yourself and delight them by coming up with a grand list of things you are thankful for! Here is mine.
That is an incredible juxtaposition of events.
It makes me tremendously thankful for this man that I am thankful for anyway.
So this morning I listed 30 things I am thankful for in my husband. (Otherwise known as "30 Reasons Why I Love Tim.")
Your spouse may not have a birthday today, but let me encourage you to do the same things for them. Surprise yourself and delight them by coming up with a grand list of things you are thankful for! Here is mine.
30 Things I am Thankful for About Tim
- He reads his Bible. Every day. Without fail. Even on airplanes and in hospitals.
- He is self-disciplined in his eating.
- He is careful with his money. Frugal.
- But he is not stingy. He is generous.
- He has taken me around the world.
- He corrects the children with Scripture. Not with emotional manipulation.
- He is a peacemaker.
- He is not a gossip.
- He does not stir up quarrels. He looks for ways to avoid them.
- Until they absolutely have to be addressed. Then he addresses them with humility or tact.
- He prays for me.
- He prays for our kids.
- He prays for the world.
- His work is the Word; his love is the Word; his hobby is the Word.
- He doesn't hunt or fish much, and he rarely watches sports.
- He took me ice skating a few times, purely because I love it. And he doesn't. It was an act of love.
- We can read two separate books in the same room and we both view it as a "date."
- He is my personal Strong's Concordance. I'm terrible with numbers, which translates to terrible with references. He remembers--or can find easily--even the obscure ones.
- He takes his time with decisions, which means that we perfectly complement each other.
- One of the few times I have ever seen him weep was over the spiritual needs of Asia. I will never forget that moment.
- He taught me to enjoy reading maps.
- He hasn't forced me to learn to drive a stick shift. Although he thinks I should know. In fact, for my sake, he always buys automatic cars. (Of course, he knows I like to drive with a coffee in one hand, so maybe that plays into his decision.)
- Even though he is not a coffee drinker, he has learned to like the special occasion Cafe Mocha for my sake.
- He loves me. In spite of all my faults. (And they are many!)
- He knows when to say those important words: "Children, your mom isn't feeling well today. Please do everything you can to help her."
- Although he encourages me in efforts regarding physical fitness, he also reminds me that my body won't ever be the same after 6 kids and 5 c-sections.
- And yet. . . when I go jogging, he always supports me. Even if it is theoretically dinner time.
- He is one awesome teacher. And I get the benefit of that even before his students do.
- He taught each of our kids to ride a bike. (Except the twins. Maybe in a few years.)
- He faithfully took out the trash until he had a son old enough to replace him.
I ran out of time to write before I ran out of things to write. I could probably come up with a list of a hundred or more.
Why don't you do this for a special person in your life: a mother, a father, a spouse, a child?
Maybe your pastor--that would be an incredible gift. Pastors usually only hear the complaints.
Happy Thanksgiving!