The Character of the Man

The Character of the Man:

I won't soon forget the long hard winter. My husband had 6 different jobs in 4 years, all paying thousands less than our living expenses. When you are in the midst of those times it is hard to see what good could be coming from it. I often wondered if God has gone on vacation. Questions, doubts and fears often plaqued my mind. It was one of the most profound times of my life. This was not a road we would have ever chosen for ourselves.

I knew after several months that it wasn't about the jobs. But what was it about? Now years down the road I can see what I couldn't see then. There was much to be gained for both of us. It wasn't about the money or the job. It was about the woman and the man. This is a tribute to the character of the man.

One job in particular that he had was with a water company. He thought it was going to be customer service and route sales, with good pay. It ended up being delivery, carrying 80 pounds of water everyday, running at full speed to get finished. Though we had prayed fervently for a good route, he ended up with the third worst route in the company. Leaving at 6:00AM and getting home around 8:00PM was common. Exhausted he would walk in the door, hungry and weary, but never giving up. He is a man of perseverance.

When God removed him from that job he opened another job at a handyman company. It was the most bizarre thing. Though the owner knew he had very little experience, he begged him to come and work for the company, telling him they would train him. He accepted the job and began his training, doing a perfect job on one of his assignments. Two and 1/2 weeks later they let him go after changing owners. God was restoring a place inside David, allowing him to face the lies of failure and walk away from them. He had not failed. He had given all he had to give. It was his best. He is a man of integrity.

The next job God took him to was a season where he worked two jobs. One job was full-time in the daytime working in an upscale fast food restaurant, and the 2nd job was at night 2-3 nights a week at Starbucks. He worked long and hard to make sure we were taken care of. I tried to go to work to alleviate one of the jobs, but he was insistent that I stay home with the children. Faithfully he went to work each day, never complaining. He is a man of faithfulness.

During that season, one of the men from church came up to pray for him. Before he started to pray he looked him in the eye and said, "God wants you to know that you are an honorable man. You are an example to the men here. There are men who wouldn't do what you are doing for your family." David's eyes welled up with tears. He needed to hear that. The weariness that was over him dissipated in that moment. He was an honorable man. That's all that mattered, really. It does alot to a man to be seen for who they really are. He is a man of honor.

God dropped another job in his lap. This job was promising and brought an income that allowed him to quit his 2nd job. The owner of the company ended up not being a man of his word. Every week David would have to go and fight for his paycheck. One week in particular he had to stand up and challenge the owner. In that season I saw the warrior in the man. He is a man of strength.

God moved him on to another job with a contracting company. The owner of the company put his 24 year old son over David as the boss. I saw grace in David as he submitted himself to the authority of a cocky young man who talked down to him with disrespect. He is a man of humility.

The company they were contracting for offered to take him on in a fulltime position. He accepted. Now he is working for men who see his work and appreciate him. He walked the "season of the jobs" with faithfulness. He never gave up. He is a man of endurance.

I was thinking back over those years the other day, since we are now out of them. A sense of awe, honor and respect came over me as I realized how much I had seen during those times. Something deeper had taken place in my heart besides the pruning God had done in me, which was huge. I had seen my man through God's eyes. I, like Him, am proud of David.

How often through the years had I seen the nitpicky things that irritated me above the attributes of the man? Too many, I'm afraid. Too many times I had focused on what he wasn't doing instead of all that he was. Something changed for me in that season of life. I began to see the character of my man.

So how about you? What do you seeing in your man?

Rom. 13:7(Amplified) Render to all men their dues. [Pay] taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.

With all my love, and gratitude for the man that you are, David, I honor you.

Jewel

©copyrighted 2008 by Julie L. Todd