Proverbs 18:22

Proverbs 18:22 - "The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord." (NLT)

I'm struggling here about what to write. Part of me wants to brag that my husband totally found a treasure in me and tell him he is welcome for bringing on tons of good things from God. The other part wants to admit that I probably haven't been the "treasure" I was meant to be lately. 

I guess if I'm being transparent, I'm leaning more towards not being that treasure my darling deserves. We've both been stressed to the max lately. He's currently studying for the CPA exams (which makes me more than proud of him) while balancing  40+ hours at work, a reallllly crummy commute to and from work (shout out to Houston rush hour, 610, and 290!), and an emotional mess of a wife. Honestly, if this psalmist were to look into our life before writing verse 18, they probably would have switched roles and said that I, the wife, has found a treasure in my man. 

So, how do I become that treasure for him? 

The first thing God popped into my mind is stop comparing. Lately, I've fallen into comparing different aspects of our life to each other, and in every scenario, Stephen comes out on top. I end up feeling pity for myself and animosity for my husband for no particular reason. The thing is: Stephen and I are a team now. Our marriage is not the place for me to compare my stressors, my mistakes, and my shortcomings to his. It's definitely not the place for jealousy, disdain, or contempt - especially when he has done nothing to deserve that. We are called to love and support each other, no matter how our day (or week or month) has been going. I've got to be more proactive in loving my husband correctly.
 

I also feel like I need to actively begin to help my husband out. Yes, I do his laundry and cook dinner often (maybe I am a treasure after all!), but I'm not sure when the last time was that I truly helped him out. As many times as I have stressed for him to "listen to my feelings" and "try to see it from my perspective," it's time that I start doing the same for him. It's time to stop seeing him overwhelmed and thinking, "it's about dang time you see what I'm feeling!" I need to learn how to ask him how I can help. He deserves to be catered to on the hard days just as much as I do, if not more. 

Despite me not feeling like a treasure, my darling does a pretty good job and reminding me that he thinks I am. He truly is a blessing, even in the rough patches. 

Thanks, God, for a godly husband and your favor on our family.