Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Second Prayer

This is the second part of the ten-part prayer concerning praying for your husband. Again, the whole thing is simple and short, but I think it cuts to the heart of the basic needs and desires of men.

It helps me keep in mind what is important to him.

So often, I tend to ignore or pay little attention to the work and happenings of my spouse unless it is directly related to our life. Meaning, if it happens in our home, or with one of us, then I tend to give it more attention and concern. Well, the fact is that most of Ben's time isn't spent with us. He has a career, an exercise routine, passions that he cultivates outside the home, friendships of his own, a prayer life and so on. This is not to suggest that he isn't present to us. On the contrary, he actually juggles all the responsibilities and commitments of his life very well. And, we feel loved and cared for.

A side note, he can actually juggle, which is entertaining and, as you can imagine if you know him, often hilarious to watch.

But, I realize that it is important to pray that all his endeavors, whether they be with us or for us or not, deserve prayer and concern.

It is important for any person to be successful; to accomplish what they set out to do; to gain the respect and attention of those around them for support and encouragement; to attain a goal; to complete a task well; to have one's efforts produce good, if not excellent results.

Maybe one is not always conscience of these desires, or they all don't carry equal weight. After all, recognition is more important to some than others. Setting goals is more of a priority for some. Excellence in our work is not valued as highly by some.

And yet, I think deep down if we really seek the depths of what one wants, these are important. They do matter.

For men especially, I think there is a pride and self-confidence that comes with success in their work. They have something to prove.

It's important for me to remember this and to daily offer up the endeavors of my spouse. That he will be supported in his drive to do his duties and passions well. Actually, that they produce excellent results, not just good ones.

Let's just shoot for that. I think it is worth it.

Prayer Part Two:

Give him success in all that he does.

1 comment:

Jen said...

I'm really enjoying these thoughts. Keep them coming!