My Beloved

I am so very proud of my amazing husband! He has accomplished so much at only 26 years old & I know he will do so much more in the years to come. Three weeks from tomorrow he will graduate with his PhD in rocket science (really it's molecular biology, but it's all the same to me so it may as well be rocket science!). He has worked so hard on his studies & research here. He has solved 3 different protein structures & co-authored 6 publications, 3 of which he is the first author.

Not to mention he has managed to do this with a somewhat demanding, & at times pain-in-the-ass, wife & two children....

While thinking about what he was going to write in his acknowledgments for his dissertation he faced a dilemma that was pretty significant considering his field. Generally speaking, scientists are not people of faith (interesting side note: of the 4 people in Jason's lab, 3 are Christians) so he felt really uncomfortable about thanking the LORD in his acknowledgments. On the one side, he could be looked down upon for making this bold proclamation as a scientist, but on the other he would be surrendering to the expectations of men, sort of being ashamed of his God. I am happy to say he decided to thank God anyway! I am so proud of him for making this decision :)

Jason loves the LORD, & I love Jason even more for that. But he is also not afraid to ask difficult questions, another thing I admire him for. They are common questions, but not easy to wrestle with, such as: Why does God allow suffering in the world? How is it just for God to send people to hell? Is God evil or good -- He has raised up entire nations only to destroy them -- how is that loving? I love that he doesn't blindly "buy into" Christianity. This attribute drives me crazy at times because I'm usually the one he discusses these things with, & my brain just doesn't function as his does. So I get frustrated.

We have been together 7 years, the last 5 in marriage, & he has proved to be a wonderful husband & father. He shares in the responsibilities at home: cooking, cleaning, finances, child care, & more. Of course I typically manage the home most of the time because I am here much more than he is & he has been so overwhelmed lately at work that I've tried to ease the burdens of home life for him. I'm not always successful in this, but I do try. He is very affectionate with our children & I love that. His own father was never an affectionate person, so it is incredible for me to watch him cuddle & kiss the kids. He enjoys giving Solomon baths & playing with him (sadly, things that are a little lower on my "Fun Things To Do" list -- I'm just a bad mom). My heart melts when I watch him interact with Charlotte; she's totally stolen his heart. He tells me all the time that I'm hot & makes me feel so beautiful, so desirable.

We bicker sometimes (what married couple doesn't?) & there are days when we don't want to be married (sometimes it's more about commitment than how we feel). We are far from perfect, but we try to keep our marriage & our home centered on Christ. Five years of marriage isn't a lot (well, maybe it is by today's measures) & we have many more years to face, fighting for our marriage & each other. I am so thankful that we both want the LORD's will for our marriage & our lives so we will be fighting together, side by side.

Thank You, God, for my beloved husband. He isn't perfect but he is perfect for me.