On this Father’s Day I have two great men to celebrate: my Dad, a wonderful, loyal, loving man who faithfully serves God, and my husband Ben, who is more than I ever could have dreamed of having in a soul mate and father of my children. I like to take any chance I have to brag about this man, so I hope you’ll indulge my shameless gushing.
Ben comes from a broken home; his parents divorced when he was 13 and he entered marriage with no real frame of reference for how a man should treat his wife. He could have used his past as an excuse for selfish behavior in our relationship, or defaulted to taking the easy road in any of the rocky points in our marriage. Instead, he has made a conscious choice to love me as Christ loves the church and to sacrifice himself for me (Eph. 5). He has sought out godly mentors and received wise counsel from pastors and friends to grow in faith and character. He genuinely listens to me and we have the greatest conversations. This man selflessly serves and cares for me in ways that are astounding — ways that can only the result of conscious choice because I know they weren’t modeled for him as a child. He puts God first and our family flourishes because of it. He leads with a humble strength that doesn’t shout, “Follow me! I’m The Leader!” but is inviting and secure all the same.
Ben loves being a dad. He was like most guys when our first child was born — a little awkward, unsure what to do with this tiny, squalling little person. But as our kids have grown, so has he. When he walks in the door after work (even after overnight duty or deployments), he immediately and joyfully puts on his Dad Hat to play monster, swim in our pool, do a puzzle, or watch a dance. He lavishes our children with time, attention, love, and discipline.
He is not perfect — just look at the coffee grounds in the sink — but he seeks to live his life in a manner that honors God. He is not satisfied to waste his life on the meaningless and mundane, but works at whatever he does with all his might (Col. 3:23). He pushes himself physically, mentally, and spiritually. In a few weeks he’ll stand in front of our church as part of a group that is reciting the entire book of 1 John from memory. He is reciting the second chapter, the longest chapter — all 29 verses. Certainly not because he loves to be in front of people (ha! nope), is gifted at memorization, or is looking for pats on the back, but because he loves the Word of God and is embracing the importance of hiding it in his heart.
There is no end to what I could say about Ben and the treasure he is to the kids and me. I could not be more thankful for this man and the way he lovingly leads our family. I love you, Ben! Happy Father’s Day!
Stay At Home Mayhem 