I Married Up!

I married up. You know, don't you, that means it was a better deal for me... Not that Beth has ever acted that way, but it is a fact. I am a blessed man for having found this woman. She is great in many ways.
For one thing, she is my friend. She is my best friend. We like each other... most of the time, anyway. She followed me around for several years while I attempted to be a great minister, and what I needed was to become a better person. She began after a while to put on the brakes and say "Wait a minute, here." She loved me and had proved it, but it was her will of forged and tempered steel that started demanding communication improvements, growth in integrity, and stability from me. On the last count, she did not demand that I stop preaching, etc, but that I find the will of God and stay with it and quit jumping around all the time. That is something that had to happen. I have learned it so well, that I have had trouble in my mind with the thought of stepping out again and taking the risks necessary to realize my dreams. (I will do it, but it is not easy anymore.)
But I have Beth with me and I think we will do alright.
She is stable. She is humble in her estimation of herself. Not enough to let anyone run over her, but she is not too good for any job in the church, or at home. And, she's pretty sure that I 'm not too good for any of those job's, either. That's good for me. I know it is. It's bound to be. I think...
That reminds me of the two lines of men trying to get into heaven. One entrance was marked, "Entrance for Hen-Pecked Husbands" (for my friends from outside the USA, that means men who are constantly being told by their wife what they ought to do and he says, "Yes, dear" and does it). This line had so many men in it, that it stretched down the street and out of sight. The other entrance said, "For Non-Hen-pecked Husbands." There was only one man in that line. The men in the long line kept looking at the guy in the other line and whispering among themselves... Finally, one of the men couldn't stand it any more. He yelled over to the only guy in the other line, "Hey, man, what are you doing in that line over there?" The man in the "Non-Henpecked Line" yelled back, "I don't know. My wife told me to get in this line!"
Of course, that's not true of me and my relationship with Beth. Mister, I wear the pants in my family. (I asked Beth and she told me I could try it for a few days... as long as I didn't let it go to my head.)
Now, the truth is - that the quality of person that Beth is, has pushed me toward a more balanced and more Christ-like character. I can honestly say that I care more about what she thinks of me than of what anyone else in the world thinks of me. She is honest, and has less of an agenda for others or ulterior motives, than anyone else that I have ever known.
I got the better part of the bargain when I got her, and I promise you that Jesus knew what He was doing for me when he sent her from Denver to Tulsa to meet me 29 years ago... and I am so thankful!