Marry the man who gives

You will get lots of advice about the type of man you should marry. Chances are, especially in Christian circles, you hear:

"Make sure he goes to church. (By the way, what denomination is he? What Bible translation does he use? How does he dress to enter the sanctuary "Better not wear a cap!)"

“He better have a job that pays well, is stable, secure, and has room for promotions and extra pay. After all, he will have to support you, a house and children. »

"Pay attention to his temper: if he can't control it, there's no guarantee he won't become emotionally, verbally, or physically abusive later on, once you're married and you're married. maybe have children."

"Watch how he treats his mom...and the elderly. Oh, and the animals! That's a good indicator of how he'll treat you, even if you're weak, helpless, and graying."

Let me stop here and say that these are healthy considerations a woman should make when meeting a man she wants to be romantically involved with. He should value the church, hard work, self-control, and treat women, the elderly, and everyone else with the utmost respect. However, I have one more tip to add to the list. Although vague, my advice is simple: marry a giving man.

In a richer context, I suggest you marry a man who gives his:

In today's world, we are constantly exhausted. Neither man nor woman are immune to fatigue. Whether it's work, extracurricular activities, carpool schedules, or even church activities, we get into reckless routines that, if left unsupervised, will leave us with little soul time. , a few spare minutes to stop and notice the value of ourselves and the beauty of this world.

In my new book, Tired, Hungry and Somewhat Faithful, Where Exhaustion and Exile Meet God, I dive into insight into the hope we can find in exhaustion, the mysterious but magic of God hidden between the "Ugh!" moments. And do you know where these bits of paradise nestle in the teeming chaos? They reside in the heart of a person who discards lifeless expectations in exchange for giving their energy to someone else.

My husband, Josh, is allergic to weed. It doesn't break out in dangerous hives just by walking around outside, but it will hiss for weeks if it cuts the grass. His breath is hoarse, congested and rather scary when he snores at night. Yet the other day, when my dad couldn't mow his lawn due to the wet Georgian summer weather, Josh spent nearly four hours mowing my parents' front yard. back and both sides. He even caught the weed eater and trimmed all the edges of the property.

He gave his energy to my father's service, even when he had several big projects to finish. He sacrificed his comfort, embracing the need for an inhaler for the next few weeks so my dad could rest. Josh gave up his energy and exhausted his physical resources for my father's sake.

When a man gives his energy, it reflects the generosity of Jesus. When you struggle with a person who sacrifices their mental, emotional, and physical abilities for someone other than themselves, you better understand how Christ exhausted his body to heal countless people. You better see how the blind, the lame, and the crippled clung to his pure nature. He gave all his energy to everyone but himself, and people, including you and me, love him for it.

One of the first reasons I thought, "I'm going to marry Josh," was because he cut my dad's grass (and was wheezing for ages). weeks) while Dad was sick with the flu (and Josh and I were only going out for a few months).

Ladies, marry the man who gives his energy to others, even when the payback requires an inhaler.

We don't have time to do anything - and by that I mean we're often so busy concentrating on our to-do list that we get swamped with the to-do list. do, frozen in fear and angst over the -do list, and spend the day dodging the responsibilities of the to-do list. Instead of giving our attention to stressful checkboxes, we resort to scrolling on our phones, binging movies, or snacking and napping. Such monotony is much easier to deal with than anything on our blue lined paper.

However, when a man faces the tasks of the day, takes care of his responsibilities and always gives his free time to others, he is not only a man of sacrifice, but also of bravery, steadfastness and trust.

After a long day at work, most of us women would rather drop by the nearest coffee shop and grab an iced mocha and come home to soak in a bubble bath with our book scent and of favorite candle filling the room. Well, the guys aren't much different. They too want to go home after a hard day's work and enjoy an afternoon show...