Hero is defined as: “A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” (Source: Webster's online dictionary.)
I have a hero. A man who’s distinguished abilities and noble qualities may go unnoticed by others, but certainly not by me. I wish I could say I remember to thank him as he consistently comes to my rescue, carries the burden of providing for our family and, with great respect, honors his responsibility as the spiritual leader of our home. But oftentimes it slips my mind as I am caught up in the craziness of life.
Tomorrow is my hero’s birthday, and I can’t think of a better way to let him know how I feel than by dedicating today’s post entirely to him. I love him. I feel immensely blessed and honored to be his wife. And I want the world to know what an absolutely amazing and incredible man I get to share my life with. My husband, Joel, is my hero, and the following is a list of all reasons why I can’t imagine one single day without him!
My hero:
- Passionately loves God with all his heart, mind and soul.
- Is passionate about – pretty much – everything!
- Makes me coffee - Every. Single. Morning. And has it ready for me when I go downstairs for my quiet time.
- Rubs and scratches my back every night before I fall asleep.
- Encourages me to take one day a week for myself (he watches the kids, and I get a “day off”).
- Partners with me in parenting our children.
- Adores our two little girls and one little boy.
- Listens to me when I’m going through a difficult season, and always has a word of wisdom to share.
- Sees the best in me and points it out – he encourages me to keep trying even when I feel uncertain or insecure.
- Believes in me.
- Cares for me when I am sick.
- Edits my writing (anything I have ever written that has grammatical, spelling or structural errors was posted without having him edit beforehand. In fact, this piece is a surprise for him, and I’m writing so fast that there are sure to be plenty of mistakes – please forgive me).
- Sings my praises to his co-workers (I never knew this until those he works with told me all the wonderful things he has said about me)!
- Thinks I’m GEORGEOUS and TELLS me (a girl needs to hear stuff like this from the man she loves)!
- Is the most wonderful person to sit with, be lazy with, and share long, deep talks over coffee.
- Is a LOST fan.
- Makes me laugh.
- Is strong where I am weak – he is a great balance for me.
- Is a genius (he’s like a walking encyclopedia)!
- Patiently answers and explains the multitude of questions on politics and history I throw his way (in fact, he can pretty much predict when a question is coming, and is always prepared to give an explanation).
And lastly, my hero loves me unconditionally. He is faithful to me, walks with integrity and I know I can trust him. We have shared many, many ups and downs in our eight years of marriage: ministry challenges and disappointments, multiple moves, miscarriage, marriage issues and counseling, financial difficulties. As well as: late night coffee talks, the births of three beautiful and healthy children, miraculous financial provision, incredible ministry stories and more blessings than I have room to list here. We may not have been married that long, but we have had our fair share of experiences for sure!
And so, if a hero were defined as a “man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”, then I would have to say Joel fits that profile more than any other person on the face of this earth. And yet, he is more than a hero to me. He is my best friend, confidant and love of my life.
Happy Birthday to you, my hero! I’m so glad you were born, and I’m so glad you are mine!