“A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”
— ‭‭(CSB – Read the chapter)

My bride and I have been watching a show lately about living in Alaska. It came out several years ago when shows featuring all things Alaskan were so popular. This one chronicles the lives and lifestyles of a collection of people who live near or north of the Arctic Circle. At least two of the ones who get the most attention are single. One is a woman who lives entirely on her own. The other is a guy who lives with only his dogsledding dogs. From the editing, they pretty much do everything for and by themselves. Watching it is a good reminder of another thing I’m thankful on this Thanksgiving day. Today I am thankful for not doing life alone.

One of the biggest lies of our culture is that life is easier alone. It’s a really compelling lie too. It is made to seem so good. You can do what you want, go where you want, spend what you want. And you don’t have to worry about anybody else in the process. If you decide you want to change something, you don’t have to get any kind of permission or worry about hurting anybody else’s feelings. You can just do it. What’s not to like?

I’ll tell you what’s not to like: being alone. As we talked about a couple of weeks ago when we gave some attention to the Loki series before doing a full review, the first problem in all of creation was not sin, it was our being alone. The first man existed in a state of sinless perfection in a pristine creation without any of the problems that we deal with today. Not a single one of them. And God looked down on this and said it was not good. He didn’t make us to be alone.

Now, there are lots of ways to not be by yourself. But one of the best, and the one God gave us specifically is marriage. Not everybody is called to marriage, and singleness is not by any means an inferior state of living. That being said, God doesn’t call many to walk that particular path. For most, He calls us into the glorious covenantal union of a man and a woman called marriage that gives a better picture of the relationship between Christ and His church than any other. And, I, for one, am incredibly glad that He did.

I married up. I know that’s a self-deprecating joke a lot of guys tell, but it’s not a joke for me. I really did. She’s beautiful on the inside. She’s smoking hot on the outside. And her eyes are absolutely captivating. My bride is simply amazing.

She is thoughtful in ways I can’t even begin to replicate. She naturally considers the needs of everyone around her, and takes active steps to not only put them first, but to make them feel honored and special. She will bend over backwards and sacrifice everything she has in order to make someone else feel welcome and even celebrated. She puts herself after you, whoever you are.

She is an administrative dynamo. She can grasp details and nuances of even the most complicated situations, and she can do that in a split second. Whereas it takes most people a few minutes (and me a few hours) to get a handle on how some situation should work, she can piece it together almost instantaneously. I’ll spend hours agonizing over the best way to approach some kind of task or event. She’ll glance at it for half a second and immediately know how to do it.

She understands people really well. She has helped me understand myself better and why I tick the way I do. Just yesterday she made an observation about me that was not only absolutely spot on, but was something I had never before realized, but which I recognized immediately was right on the money. She recognizes the motives and intentions of the people around her far faster than the average Jane.

She works hard at everything she does. And she’s always trying to do more. When she sits down in the evening, where most people check out and focus only on themselves (that’s certainly the pattern I fall into), she will sit there and think about how she can do something for someone else. Then, she’ll put her plan into action to their delight.

She is never looking out for her own glory. She is perfectly comfortable to work entirely behind the scenes, receiving no credit for things that were entirely her idea. She would much rather see something else honored than draw attention to herself.

She cares for other people deeply. When someone else hurts, she naturally hurts with them. When they rejoice, she’ll join in the celebration. Everyone who knows her knows that she can be trusted to keep her word and keep it well.

She is an incredible mom to our three boys. Everything she does, she does with them on her mind. She is wholly committed to teaching them to be godly men who are considerate, compassionate, and kind to everyone, but especially to women. They will all three be hot ticket husbands to three lucky ladies one day because of the insights she has given them along the way to that place.

She has without question made me a better man, a better husband, a better father, and a better pastor. I would not have achieved just about anything I have accomplished in the last nearly two decades without her. Any idea I’ve had that was a good one almost assuredly came from her. If this blog has been a blessing to you over the years, for instance, it was her idea.

If I was standing on my own, number one, I wouldn’t have three boys of whom I am immensely proud. I wouldn’t be serving in the wonderful community and with the fantastic church I have. I wouldn’t be nearly as good or prolific of a writer. I wouldn’t be any of the things that make me, me.

Solomon, the wisest Man who ever lived, said that a man who finds a wife finds a good thing. I could not agree more. I have found a good thing. For me, she is the best thing save Jesus Himself. And I love her. A lot. For that—for her—for the God who gave her to me—I am immensely grateful.