Matt and Charlie

Matt and I arriving at our son's  home for a visit.

 



The measure of a Godly Husband and Father 

 

Today as it is Father's Day, I am reflecting on my husband Matt, the father of our three adult children, Matthew, Amy, and Mark.  We have been married now for

35 years and I can only say I feel so blessed to have him as my husband and best friend.

 

He has blessed me and our children in so many ways.  Matt is not a boisterous, macho type of man.  He is more the strong but gentle kind of husband and father that makes his wife and children feel secure and loved. He is a man of integrity and godly character. 

He might be described by some today as old fashioned in his values.  He values God, his family, his work and his country. 

 

My husband is a praying man who daily prays for me and our grown children. As the children were growing up, he was involved in the everyday care of our children, helping with diapering, feeding, taking the children to the park, reading to them, helping with homework, driving them places, helping them with decisions as they got older and most importantly, he prayed for them every morning as part of his routine before leaving for work. 

 

Matt truly loves in a sacrificial way.  He often would make sure the kids or I had things we needed before he would get things he needed.  I would often have to "nag" him to get new shoes for himself during the years we had three growing teenagers who needed shoes all the time it seemed!  I remember many times Matt giving our young adult and adult children help financially as we were able to for things like instruments, schooling, help with cars, moving expenses and more.

 

His sacrificial ways extended to giving to the work of the Lord.  He grew to understand that everything is God's and he has no trouble giving generously and obediently to the work of the Lord in the churches we have been members of in our 35 years or to other ministries or missions that he feels the Lord leading him to support. If ever I came to him wanting to help someone financially who God was putting on my heart,  he always was ready to bless them.

 

Matt is generous with our home and our time.  He would help people move, help clean up floods at the church, be supportive when I had women over who were going through struggles and needed my time, be willing to give others a ride to church or pick up people from the airport. 

 

Recently I had my first ever surgery. It was for Achilles tendonitis caused by a bone spur in my heel.  It was much more than I anticipated and as I have always been very active, I found it frustrating to say the least!  I have been homebound and unable to walk or drive for 4 weeks already and am looking at another 4 weeks with no driving and going to rehab so that I can use the foot and walk again.  During this time, my husband without complaint has been a rock for me.  He has run up and down stairs doing our laundry, taken our dog, Charlie. for walks and to the vet, as well as helped with cooking and cleaning. He has done this while also working everyday and keeping up with things like mowing the yard and even grocery shopping, and did I mention without complaining! 

 

Our family has been so blessed to have as the head of this family such a loving, committed, and godly man.  He has shown us the love of God through his actions and life and blesses us richly every day. His actions speak louder than words.

 

My husband has exemplified to me and our family what the scripture says love is.

 

I Corinthians 13:4-7

 

Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked easily, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity buy rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.