My wife, Elizabeth, and I met each other online and then later met for the first time in person at a Catholic Church where we started our relationship off by saying a rosary together. Before we met in person, we had already developed a good friendship just through online chats and phone calls. After we met in person, our friendship grew even more and I realized over time that I had found someone very special.
The best thing that I love about Elizabeth is her strong Catholic faith. She is a very devout Catholic and is good about saying the rosary, the chaplet of divine mercy, and many other prayers every day. I wish that I could say that I do the same. She also helps keep me strong in my faith. Every time I have a question about a Catholic practice, she knows the answer. Before I met her, she was even discerning on whether or not to become a religious nun, but ended up determining that she was being called to a different path.
Elizabeth is a very nurturing mother to our two kids and does a great job teaching them through our homeschooling program. She does most of the teaching and I’m pretty much just the groundskeeper. She’s also a wonderful cook and good at helping to keep our house looking good, clean, and organized despite having two rambunctious boys in the house.
Times haven’t always been perfect between us. We went through a hard time when we lost our second child, who was our only girl, to a rare genetic condition. We both were grieving, but we were grieving differently and it was hard to be on the same page sometimes. Thankfully, we grew closer together over time and are now always looking for ways to strengthen our relationship. We realize the importance of a date night and try to look for fun ways to strengthen our relationship.
I can remember when I was dating Elizabeth, I would always try to look my best and make sure that I was on my best behavior. It’s funny how things change after two people have been married for awhile. Now I don’t care how I look and I crack fart jokes with the boys.
When we really want something, we do all we can to get it, but once we get it, we may feel like we don’t have to try as hard anymore. The same holds true with anything good that we get in life. We get a new job, house, or car and at first we love it, but after awhile, the thrill factor wears off. However, if we lose focus and don’t take care of what we’ve got, we may end up losing that job, house, car, or even spouse.
Proverbs says that when one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. We are also called to be the bride of Christ in a heavenly marriage with Jesus. We are worth so much to Jesus that He gave up His life for us, His bride. When we stay in a close relationship with Jesus, we will find our treasure in Heaven. We need to constantly work on that relationship or else the relationship could grow weaker or die.
Getting to Heaven is worth more than any good thing in this life and we should work hard to achieve that goal. Just as a husband provides for his family, we should trust Jesus to provide for us. However, we need to still stand by Him during the hard and painful times in life. Always look for ways to grow our relationship with Jesus and we will gain a gift worth far more than pearls.
