It’s almost Valentine’s Day again. Although I tend to fall into the indifferent camp when it comes to Valentine’s, I do like to write posts in honor of the occasion.

Don’t ask me why. It’s just one of my personality’s ironies, I guess.

Anyway, on to the heart of the matter. This year I want to recognize some of the things my husband does that really make me feel loved.

There are tons of things Randy does that I’m super thankful for. It would be a very long list if I put everything here, so I’ve focused on five small, important things.

Things My Husband Does That I Love

#1 – He’s purposeful in his dealings with other women.

Randy doesn’t put himself in a position to be unfaithful to me in thought, emotion, or action.

He won’t eat lunch alone with a female co-worker. He won’t drive on a business trip with a female co-worker alone—even if it’ll be cost-effective. He doesn’t look at naked or half-clothed women on TV.

I’m sure there’s some man reading this who’s saying to himself that’s what you think. My response: I know I can trust Randy to be faithful to me because he’s built that trust in the little things.

A woman can tell these things.

The man who checks out the waitress every time she walks away from the table isn’t getting away with it. His wife knows. It’s just a matter of whether she addresses it then, but she won’t trust him truly.

The man who goes on about how attractive that actress is on his favorite TV show isn’t building trust. He’s tearing it down. And that man is much more likely to be unfaithful in the traditional sense of the word when he’s putting himself in those situations.

But Randy understands that faithfulness in thought and emotion are important, too.

#2 – He still opens the door for me.

I’m a big believer that you can see a lot in the small things (in case you haven’t guessed already). I’ve seen the truth in my own experience that if you’re faithful in a little, you’ll be faithful in a lot.

Randy is faithful in opening the door for me, fixing me a glass of juice at the end of the day, or kissing me goodbye in the morning. He listens when I talk, gives me the benefit of the doubt, and thinks the best of me. All these things assure me he’ll be here for the big things.

For the death of a parent.

For the disappointments of infertility.

#3 – He only speaks well of me to others.

There’s so much to be said of how others speak about you. I’ve seen a meme before—I can’t remember where—that says:

I can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to see in me.

That’s so true.

Randy isn’t blind to my faults (though I have wondered before). He just chooses not to focus on the bad, which does more for me than I can express.

In this way especially, Randy expresses the love of Christ to me. I can understand the love God has for me better because of Randy’s acceptance and love of me.

And this leads quite nicely into my next point.

#4 – He sharpens me.

Although Randy doesn’t focus on my bad, he does hold me accountable. If I say something nasty or thoughtless, he calls me out on it.

But privately. And lovingly.

He brings out the best in me. He makes me want to be good. To do good. He helps me in my walk with Christ.

#5 – He loves God.

Randy helps me in my walk with Christ because he’s chasing after God, too.

He doesn’t depend on me to be his “good.” To keep him walking the straight and narrow. Yes, I’m to provide him with the accountability he shows me, but his walk with Christ isn’t dependent on me.

He’d be walking the Christian faith even if I weren’t here.

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And here’s a bonus: I love that Randy isn’t all about Valentine’s Day either. Not in an I-don’t-want-to-go-to-the-effort kind of way, but because he shows his love every day.

And besides, our anniversaries are much more important to us.

How about you? What do you love about your spouse? Do you celebrate Valentine’s? whether you have a spouse or not this holiday, I hope you know how loved you are (John 3:16).

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Additional Resources

• 10 Little Things To Do For My Spouse from HISsparrowBlog
• How Much Work Does Marriage Take? from HISsparrowBlog

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