Changing Me, Not Him

I have come to the realization over the last few days how easy it is to take what my husband does for granted.  Every day he gets up around 5:30 and snuggles Addilece back to sleep until about 6:30.  Then he makes his own lunch and gets ready for the day.  He plods out the door at 7:30 to work an 8 to 5 job.  Five days a week that is his schedule.  That is what I have come to expect.  That is what he should do, right?

Well, it may be what his role is in this family, his role given by God.  However, that does not give me the right to just expect it.  In expecting it I loose a lot of the appreciation of what he does.  Leaving every day and every sort of weather and not complaining.  Doing what he does each day (I would love to tell you but accounting is beyond my realm of knowledge) with a willing spirit. 

And then there are the other things, like cuddling Addilece, taking out the trash, keeping the car in good working order, handling our budget, and keeping this apartment from (literally) falling in on us.  His list is also about to grow as we buy a house.  I'm hoping (wink, wink) that he will add shoveling and half the mowing to that list and I know he will add house repair.

Ok, so now the truth of this story, how I came to this realization.  See I was feeling pretty under appreciated myself.  I sat there lamenting and wondering why my hubby did not comprehend that I would love it if he loaded the dishwasher on the night I went to do 3 hours worth of laundry.  I kept thinking, "He could care less about what I do around here.  How can he spend three hours playing video games while I do laundry."

That's when God hit me straight in the middle of my forehead.  I realized that I was just as guilty, if not more, about assuming things were his responsibility.  I easily grip if he's running late (usually because he was snuggling and feeding Addilece so I could get a little bit more sleep) and I have to make his lunch.  And I grip about being the one that had to pick up the windshield wiper fluid.  Its easy to stick the trash by the door and NOT run it out when I'm going out anyway or just get grumpy because its overflowing.  Afterall, aren't those his jobs??? Yes, I am way more guilty then he is.

See, God wants me to change, not me to change my husband.  He wants my heart to be right and to leave my husbands alone.  So, I just wanted to publicly say that I am PROUD of my husband.  I'm proud of the way he handles each day with a great attitude and a willing heart.  Thank you baby to all you do.  Now that I've said it publicly I must make sure I say it privately (seeing that he will never read this)!