An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:10-12 ESV).
Happy Birthday, Mary! God has always taught me through experiences. Thus, I have come to use “stories” to express what I have learned about the truth of God. So, on this day of celebration, let me tell a story. I’m actually writing this on Friday, June 2nd, Mary and I went out to a lab appointment and out to eat breakfast. Returning home, I decided to write a few devotionals to get ahead a bit. Mary is sitting in the room watching television in the background and reading a book. A commercial began to play advertising “soaker tubs.” For background you should know that we specifically designed our home without tubs. We do have a very large walk-in shower with a bench across the back, however, it certainly is not a place to “soak.” As the commercial played, Mary said, “That’s what I want for my birthday! I want a soaker tub. Can I have a soaker tub?” Having had this conversation on many occasions in the past, I kept writing in silence. She then said, “You don’t have your ear pods in, and I know you can hear me.” I still remained silent. This conversation is certainly a no-win situation.
After a moment or two another commercial came on advertising hot tubs. She pressed on. “Will our deck hold a hot tub?” I made the mistake of answering, “Sure. It’s strong enough.” She said, “Well, I know I can’t have a soaker tub, so I want a hot tub.” Shaking my head in resignation, I merely said, “Yeah… nope.” She retorted, “You are so mean.” And, we both had a good laugh.
Laughter is “good medicine for the heart” (Proverbs 17:22). I have had more than half o century of good medicine thanks to her. Truly “she is far more precious than jewels.” Acknowledging that publicly one day out of the year seems so inadequate; however, I know God has always been working through her to bring the best into my life regardless of my acknowledgment. Today, however, I simply say… Happy Birthday, Sugar! I hope it’s the best ever!