How Do You Take Your Wife for Granted?

My wife is amazing, and in so many ways. She’s intelligent, beautiful and caring. She’s a far better person than me.

But she’s also a doer for others—all the time. She does so much for me and our household. Some of those things, honestly, I take for granted.

Recently, I saw her watering the pretty flowers we have on our front steps. I must admit, I’m not a great detail person. I would likely forget those flowers are there, but when I get home from a long day at work, it’s nice to walk into a home that is so welcoming. Those flowers this fall are a part of that.

That’s when it hit me: How many things does she do that I take for granted? She just does them. I don’t even know when she does them all the time. She just does.

Here are a few examples:

• Flowers watered. OK, I mentioned this one. But someone has to water them … and she apparently does it every day.
• Dog fed. I love our dog. I don’t mind helping with this one. I just never do. It’s in Cheryl’s daily routine.
• Clothes washed. I’ve joked that I only need a couple pairs of underwear. The girl never stops. It seems she’s always washing clothes. (She’s even said she misses washing the boys’ clothes. Whatever!)
• Clothes picked up from cleaners. I take my shirts to the cleaners—I mean, Cheryl takes my clothes to the cleaners … and picks them up … and places them back in my closet. All I do is find them clean. Amazing how that works.
• Checkbook balanced and bills paid. I would pay the bills, but the checkbook wouldn’t be balanced if it weren’t for Cheryl. Of course, she is an accountant, and this comes naturally for her. She actually feels better when she knows this is done well, but no doubt I take it for granted. Many times.
• Special dates remembered. Birthdays, for example, come the same date every year for everyone we know. It’s funny how that works. Cheryl remembers, even when I don’t.
• Social calendar arranged. Cheryl keeps my work calendar on her phone. It helps her know where I am throughout the day. (Guys, this is not an inconvenience but a huge blessing. When our spouse wants to know what we did during the day because they love living life with us, this gives them a head start. It also helps Cheryl know how to pray for me throughout the day.) But mostly it allows her to plan our social life by working with my busy schedule. I love having a social life. I just don’t like planning it. She does this, continually.

I’m sure there are many more—such as being thoughtful enough to send thank you and sympathy cards—but these were seven that easily came to mind when I took the time to think about them. And you know how much I like the number seven.

At first glance, these may seem like little things, but they are really big things. For example, if we don’t feed her, the dog dies. But all of them make life better for me. Bottom line: My life would have less color, less excitement and less enjoyment without Cheryl. Forgive me for taking that for granted so many times.

Men, what do you take for granted that your wife does?

Ron Edmondson is a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky. He is also a church leadership consultant who is passionate about planting churches, helping established churches thrive and assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life. Prior to ministry, Ron had more than 20 years of business experience, mostly as a self-employed business owner. Follow Ron on Facebook, Twitter, and his blog at ronedmondson.com.

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