The Measure of a Man
So often we marry someone because we love who we think they are at that moment.
Then we find out 10 years later that we don’t know the half of it.
Of them.
Life is full of challenges. People change. People grow. People either buck up or fall down.
Sometimes the half you don’t know turns out to be the half you wouldn’t want to know. Sometimes people choose to fight change and growth and stagnate as perpetual 20-somethings, living at home, playing video games, and hanging out with the guys (or girls) every. single. weekend. (Feel free to insert your personal pet peeve into that last sentence, we all have different definitions of immaturity.)
But sometimes the half you don’t know turns out to be more mature…
Mr. Fix-It and the Cowboy working on a new lawn mower seat.
…More competent…
The Cowboy, being the Helper (with a capital "H"!)
…More steady…
We like to make sure everyone earns their baths around here!
…More dependable…
Then he went to work on his own little project.
…More compassionate…
His own serious work. Of fixing something that's not broken.
…More amazing…then you could have imagined.
You know, back before your definition of competent required someone that could build fence, fix your car, and change your kitchen faucet all in one weekend, while helping watch the kids.
Back before steady meant coming home every night after 90 minutes in traffic to a cluttered house, a flustered wife, and 3 wound up kids all needing dinner, baths, and one-on-one time before bed at 8.
Back before dependable included someone that would wash vomit out of your toddler’s hair while you changed sheets and scrubbed the floor at 2 am on a weeknight.
Before compassionate meant having someone to hold your hand through your parents’ funeral service–and for all the dark years afterward.
Whew! That's the face of hard work, there!
Sometimes it turns out, after all this time, that the things you thought mattered, don’t matter much at all.
And that you married someone that ended up simply being so much more than you ever expected. So much more that it tightens your throat and brings tears to your eyes and stills your beating heart…so completely different from back in the beginning.
You know, back before you understood the definition of maturity.
What a sweet post…both the words and the images. I agree that maturity changes us for the better and thank goodness for that! xoxo
Thanks for sharing your heart today! It is amazing, all the things that we think we know and want in a partner change and grow and mature as we change and grow and mature. So glad that you are blessed with someone to hold your hand 🙂
Thanks for reading. We don’t even know what we don’t know in the beginning of marriage! 🙂 It’s quite a blessing to have someone that’s committed to hanging in there with you while you figure it out!
very thought provoking! marriage is work mixed with patience and love.
So beautiful to read when a wife esteems her husband. Bless you.
Thank you for reading!
What a beautiful written post!
Thanks! Seeing my “men” together always pulls my heartstrings a bit.
What a beautiful tribute to your husband. I got teary reading it.
Thank you. It’s easy to overlook all the positives when we get bogged down in the daily grind, but when I see my husband interacting with my children it reminds me that I’m blessed more than I deserve.