I think he might be crazy!
My Husband is Crazy!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought that Josh might actually be crazy. It could be the time he figured he would take his Jeep apart and put it back together in 3 months. Then there’s the time he came in with one sleeve of his shirt left. Laughingly he told me the drill press had ripped his shirt off. Then there’s countless times I’ve heard, “Hey, I lit myself on fire in the garage again.” Did you catch that, AGAIN?! Like it’s a normal occurrence to light oneself on fire. The time he came home with an Elektroroller motorcycle because his brother told him if he could start it he could have it. It was missing keys and hadn’t started in years. He now rides that motorcycle back and forth to work. Most recently I walked into the garage to hear some grunting and struggling from under a car and then Josh said, “Do you think you could lift this gas tank off of me? It was heavier than I thought and I’m stuck.” Thankfully, I listened to a car jack lesson I received once and simply wheeled it over and rescued my crazy husband.
Maybe I’m Going Crazy!
When I first fell in love with Josh, my idea of a fabulous date would include a night downtown, dinner at a nice restaurant, followed by some window shopping while walking down the city sidewalks. Fast-forward fifteen years to our day off this week. Since no day off is really without some responsibility, we were heading out to run a few errands. On our way out, Josh got a twinkle in his eye and flashed me his crooked smile that stole my heart a decade and a half ago, and asked if I wanted to go to the brand new Tractor Supply Co. We’ve been watching it get built just down the hill from us, and to our crazy delight it just opened. We went with our 3 youngest daughters and spent nearly an hour walking the aisles of the brand new Tractor Supply Co. Mind you, this was Josh’s second day and second hour touring the store. This is the guy who refuses to buy new clothes because he can’t stand shopping! We looked at retractable air hoses, trailer axles, tractor drive shafts, Pink Red Ryder bb guns, and finally ended in the clothes section where the girls decided they definitely needed pink rain boots.
A few hours later we were at Costco when I remembered that Nordstrom Rack is right across the parking lot. Since I have a gift card I decided to run in and see if anything caught my eye. I walked into the store and literally stopped still. It was so overwhelming. I kid you not, the next thought that ran through my mind was, Maybe I should just shop for my clothes at Tractor Supply Co. It would be a lot less overwhelming. Crazy!! I left without anything. The whole process seemed daunting. The rest of the day Josh and I kept talking about something we’d seen at Tractor Supply Co. that stuck out to us. It was truly the highlight of our day off. Because of course welding supplies are fascinating if you lean towards the crazy.
Crazy Has Changed Me
All that to say, the last decade of marriage has changed me. I used to love the hustle and bustle of the city. Now I feel claustrophobic in a department store. I can carry on a basic conversation about control arms. I know what a broken control arm looks like, and I can tell if a Jeep has leaf springs or coils. However, not all the change was easy. There may have been a time when I was cooking dinner and saw a bright light, only to discover my darling husband was welding in my kitchen. Apparently, that was the most level place he could find. Yes, I was slightly irritated at my husband’s “redneck” tendencies, but now they make me laugh. Its part of his charm, and I’ve changed my mind throughout the years. Maybe he’s not actually crazy…maybe.
It has been almost 10 years since I walked down the aisle to marry Josh. At our wedding, my father-in-law described how a wedding is a picture of our relationship with Jesus. Just like when a groom in love pursues his bride, takes her as his own, and forms a new family, Jesus in a crazy kind of love pursues our heart. We become His. Over the years that relationship with Jesus changes us. We have new desires, and a new purpose. Sometimes we find the things we thought we desperately needed, aren’t as important as we thought.
A marriage that is characterized by two people who refuse to change won’t last. A husband in love tries to please his wife. A wife out of love and respect will try to be the woman her husband needs and desires. Over time we find we’ve changed and our relationship is stronger. A relationship with Jesus that is marked by our unwillingness to change won’t be a profitable relationship either. As we spend time with Christ, we learn about Him and are motivated to change.
Has the Crazy Love of Jesus Changed You?
This time of year we are bombarded with love and romance. Christmas was barely over and the Valentine’s candy, cards and flowers were everywhere. Inevitably, we will find ourselves in some respect contemplating Valentine’s Day. I encourage you to also contemplate your relationship with Jesus. His love for us is crazy. The sinless Son of God came down from heaven not to be worshiped but to die for us, simple unloving sinners. We could do nothing for Him but He gave His life for us. Have you allowed your relationship with Jesus to change you, or are you relatively unchanged? If you’re unchanged I encourage you to take some time and think of His love for you and make the steps to change and grow in your relationship with Him. Maybe the change He has done in you continues to overwhelm you. Then, take a moment and thank Him for working in you.
Marriage to Josh is one of the greatest blessings I’ve ever had. I wonder what the next decade of change will bring. Perhaps I will don leather gloves and a welding helmet and learn to weld or other such craziness. Probably not, but its my prayer for our marriage that each year we find our selves growing closer to each other. It is also my prayer that my relationship with Jesus finds me growing and changing to be more like Him.
