This morning I sat with my five year old while he was watching television. Suddenly, the network was having what we grown-ups call "technical difficulties". (Children call it "the-world-is-coming-to-an-abrubt-halt", by the way). Something was wrong with the audio, as in the program went completely silent. We switched the audio selection to the Spanish option (which in this case, for some reason, wasn't actually Spanish, but an option for the visually impaired- so the program played with the usual audio plus a running narrative of everything taking place). My son was happy with this, even though I kept telling him to check if the regular audio was working. Thankfully, it starting working properly again after a few minutes.
Well.
Apparently we hadn't seen (or heard) the last of the issues from our (usually) trusty public television station. The signal started getting interrupted, and we saw the digital equivalent of static for several minutes.
"Mom, it isn't working! I'm never, ever going watch TV for the rest of the day!" he declared, with tears nearly welling up in his eyes. (He could totally win an Oscar someday).
In my mommy-wisdom, I quickly suggested, "but think about all the times you watch TV and it's not messed up."
In that moment, I saw myself in him, and recognized all the times I have had the same reaction to my husband over silly things (and of course, the not silly things too!)
"Oh-my-word-our-marriage-is-in-serious-danger-how-could-you-make-such-an-awful-mistake-and-believe-that-we-could-still-be-happily-married-how-DO-you-live-with-yourself?" (Ahem. I never claimed to be totally mature. At least not publicly.)
God is always challenging me to look for the positive in the situation (I confess, I sometimes have trouble with this one). To keep track of the good things my husband does, they ways he exhibits good decision making skills, and whatnot. I think as humans, we usually have the tendency to focus on the negative and let it paint the whole picture for us. To view the world through smoke colored spectacles. But if we'll regularly take notice of the good, we will find that it far exceeds the bad, or unpleasant. We should have logged in our memory all the great things they've done and when they make a mistake (like we often do! Hello.) it should be no big deal. That's just one reason why the Bible instructs us to meditate on good things.
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
Today, I'm challenging you (and me) to pause for a moment and take note of the "true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy" things your husband has done and quickly overlook the momentary static. Think about all the times your marriage is right!
Do you struggle in this area too? Let's start here. What is something admirable about your husband that you'd like to share?
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