On being a great help meet...

I do not think I am anything great or spectacular, in fact, I feel quite the opposite. I have many of my own insecurities just as anyone else does. Clint is very happy with me and uplifts me to his friends and co-workers though. Several have told him, often in front of me, they wished they had a wife like I am to him. All of these men are married to great women. It's a very nice compliment to receive.

What do I do that pleases Clint so much and wins the admiration of his friends? It's pretty easy, I often try to go the unexpected mile.

Matthew 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two).

In Biblical times it was required by law that a Jew carry a Roman soldier's bundle a mile. Many Jews despised this and met their obligations grudgingly with poor attitudes. Jesus taught that if you wanted to show true love, you went the extra mile. Jesus taught them to give more than expected.

Many times in our relationships we become use to doing only what is required of us. We meet expectations but rarely go beyond them. Think about what is expected of you from your spouse and then how you can exceed those limits to show them your love for them in tangible ways.

On Tuesday, I split wood for Clint with the wood splitter to take some of the burden off of him. I am pretty sure he had an idea I would since I was so keen on learning how to run it Monday night. I split enough with the children's help to keep our family warm several days.

On Wednesday, my children and I wanted to show him how much we loved him by going the extra mile. This is the new stack of wood we started and finished on Wednesday. You can glimpse Tuesday's stack in the right hand corner.

How did it work? The work involved was a very low price to pay for the look of amazement, delight and thankfulness as he looked at it the first time. He thanked us and then ordered a favorite take out supper to thank us for showing our gratitude to him. He praised the children for their hard work. He rubbed my back and couldn't keep his hands off of me all night long. He probably said thank you twenty times or more. I'd say it worked pretty well. :-)

I am not saying you should split wood all day. I had five great helpers and three of us are able to take turns running the splitter. I enjoy "girding my loins with strength" with physical labor. Not all women are able to work that hard for that long.

If you want to strengthen any relationship, including your marriage, look at what is expected of you and find ways to go beyond those expectations. Going the second mile makes being a help meet enjoyable. No longer are you meeting limited expectations or doing the same things in the same way day in and out. You start looking for ways to exceed them to express your love for your mate and to be the biggest blessing to him that you can be. It will grow you in Christ and bless your marriage.