This Thursday many families will gather to enjoy their Thanksgiving meal and traditions. Some traditions will include sharing the things they are thankful for. Sometimes throughout the year we take our blessings for granted and sometimes we even view our blessings as burdens.
Blessings or burdens
Have you experienced the following? There is something you would like to watch on TV, like a game or action movie, but instead you are “forced” to have a conversation with your wife you wish could happen later.
Or, you have a project you are working on (home or work related), but your kids need daddy’s attention right now. It can be frustrating and if you aren’t careful, you could forget the blessings that your kids are and the favor your wife brings into your life.
Keep this in mind
That is dangerous ground you want to stay away from. Your wife and kids are the greatest “things” that have happened to you. When you are a married man with kids, you are favored and blessed unlike other men.
How your life changes when you get married…
The man who finds a wife finds a treasure,
and he receives favor from the Lord. – Proverbs 18:22
How your life changes when you have children…
Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! – Psalm 127:3-5
I am truly thankful to be married, and to have children. Years ago I wasn’t sure that I would ever get married. One, marriage didn’t cross my mind very often, if at all. And two, I just didn’t think anybody would want to marry me. But, after being married with kids for over 12 years, I know there is nothing like it.
I have much to be thankful for in this area. Here are 10 reasons I am thankful to be a husband and a dad.
- I have someone in my wife, to share my life with. We were created to be relational and I couldn’t imagine not having someone to share life’s greatest ups and downs with. Or not having one person, but multiple, and not sure who you will share these moments with.
- I have people who look up to me. To some degree everyone wants somebody to look up to them. Having three kids means I have three people who think very highly of me. Even when they see me mess up, I am still their dad and I am still pretty awesome.
- I have someone to please. Happy wife, happy life right? I really enjoy meeting my wife’s needs and bringing joy to her. To be the one that makes her smile and make her feel good about herself is a big deal.
- I have people to teach life to. I am a teacher at heart. I enjoy learning, I enjoy seeing other people learn and I like to be a part of that process. Having the opportunity to help your children learn how to live life is an amazing blessing.
- I have someone to please me. Just like I enjoy making my wife happy, she enjoys making me happy too. It is special when someone sacrifices, or does things with the sole intent of making you feel good. A “wife of noble character” will do that.
- I get to see myself in my youth all over again. My kids are truly chips off the old block. Each one of my kids have physical, mental and emotional similarities to me. I watch and interact with them and see myself at that age, and the similarities are amazing!
- I have a larger family to love and be loved by. In-law relationships get a bad rap and sometimes undeserved. Being married means I have another mom and dad to love and respect, and vice-versa. I have siblings and cousins who become my family. My wife and I are from the same city and it is pretty cool to now be related to some people who were just previously friends and to meet “new” family.
- I get to learn from my kids. Our oldest child is 13-years-old and our other kids are 8 and 4-years-old. So most of the learning has been by them, but we frequently learn things from them, especially about ourselves. But as they are growing older we learn other things from them. The day the “pupil” becomes the “teacher” is going to be one day I will be really proud of.
- I eat way better than I did when single. My wife is a great cook! I believe I am a little spoiled as I probably get more home cooked meals than most. I cook occasionally, okay, I cook hardly at all. But my wife cooks daily and I am really thankful for it. This Thursday I will be extra thankful for whatever she prepares.
- I have someone to carry on our family’s legacy. My wife and I see amazing character qualities, talents, skills and gifts in our kids and are excited about their futures. One day, we hope they get married and have children and begin to teach their kids many of the same principles we taught them. It is great knowing what we started with our little family of five will be continued in the future by our kids.
What are some reasons you are thankful to be a husband and dad, or wife and mom?
Adam Smith says
I am thankful because of your number one. I enjoy laughing with them and living life with them. It is really fun. Thank you for all of your points and a great post, Jackie!
Jackie Bledsoe, Jr. says
That number one point is a wonderful thing. Thanks, Adam!
Leo J. Lampinen says
The old saying “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone” applies. I don’t even want to think of a situation like that, these people are amazing. And I hope to be the same to them.
Jackie Bledsoe, Jr. says
Man, I am with you Leo!
Devin says
I am thankful for my wife and children as well. I never dreamed of having such a beautiful woman (inside and out) as my wife and her value is a blessing to me and to so many other people. Our children stretch us in many ways and because of them, I have taken action toward my dreams.
Most importantly, I am thankful for my family because they are always reminders of how much God loves me.
Jackie Bledsoe, Jr. says
We are truly blessed men, my friend. Thanks for sharing!
MJ says
I LOVE THIS! GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT Jackie for the masses of young men that think marriage might not apply to them. Definitely sharing this post over at https://www.facebook.com/FMUniversity. And for the men out there reading this post who want to prepare for your future marriage like a successful career, check out this series of blog posts: Beyond Sex & Salvation at this link: http://f-m-u.com/Blog/category/beyond-sex-and-salvation/
Mark says
God the filthy no good scumbag punished a good single man like me with the single life that wasn’t my choice at all in the first place. And for all of those men that are married with a family which they really do have so very much to be thankful for without a doubt. Very easy for many of us single men to really hate all the holidays when they come around since we have no wife and family to share our life with.
Mark says
Then again with so many rotten stuck up entitled low life loser women that God created these days certainly didn’t help the situation either why so many of us single guys can’t find a good woman at all today, especially the ones that like to curse at many of us single guys for no reason at all when we will try to start a conversation with them by just saying good morning or hello. What in the world is that all about anyway? Just so many very evil narcissists and feminists women that God unfortunately created these days, and i know other single friends that had women cursed them out too for no reason at all. Yeah, no wonder why so many of us guys are still single today and not by choice either.