I am the greatest husband ever.

 

A couple of weeks ago, school started, and my wife, a teacher, was stressing out. Lots of moving parts, plus the newness of the kids. Is the room in order, is the curriculum sound? How crazy will the parents be this year? So many worries. On top of all that, she is stressing because she’s a mom and our kids are going back to school. Now, we have very competent and capable children. They are more than able to get up, feed, clothe, and find the bus, all by themselves; but you know, she’s a mom and going to stress over these important things. 

 

For my part, I’m just about worthless. I don’t blame her for stressing. But there’s nothing I can do. I can’t decorate the classroom now. I can’t control crazy parents. I guess I could fawn over our children but, I’m a believer that independence is a gift we give children. Problems that come from that are learning experiences. Being late for school or forgetting a book are lessons learned. I find they do more good than harm. So, I’m a bit more hands off. 

 

My wife loves her children, both in and out of the classroom; it is a beautiful thing. Surely, there is something I can do that would amount to more than neglect or dereliction of fatherly/ husbandly duties. And here’s where I became the greatest husband in the world. I bought my wife candy. 

 

Not just any candy. Candy from Target. Chocolate covered caramel squares with big ‘ol chunks of salt on them. 

 

You may be asking how in the world does that make me the greatest husband ever!? Buying some chocolate isn’t that special. Oh, but it is. It is the thought that counts here. Buying chocolate, even her favorite chocolate, is not, I concede, a monumental act. Rather, it is the care of going out of my way to bring a little joy at the end of a day. She knows, doesn’t have to wonder, that I have been thinking about her and want to bring joy, if only chocolate covered. 

 

This is exactly what Jesus is trying to teach when He said love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37). When we love the other, we show that we are thinking about God. We can’t give Him anything. There is nothing we can do to improve on creation, but we can love on the ones next to us. We can see the world through their eyes and, in whatever way, big or small, show that we love them. In showing that we love them, we are sharing God’s love and loving on our Lord Himself. 

 

Am I the greatest husband ever? I’ll let you be the judge. 

 

Maybe there is some bloke out there who has done mind-boggling things, like give his wife a kidney, or the dishes. But I contend, with Jesus, that the greatest gift we can give is our love and attention every day, to our spouses, our neighbors and our enemies. Sometimes the littles things are the biggest.