Unconditional Love

Last Updated on March 21, 2018

No one has ever loved me like my husband does. I’m not sure why, I only know that Steve’s love for me overlooks my flaws, my tendency to be critical, and my bad habits.

His unconditional love is what helped me to “hang in there” when stepfamily living got tough. That coupled with the fact that he is the most honest man I know.

Over the last 26years when step family issues such as: the former spouse, his kid’s behavior, or the financial strain of supporting two households would surface I’d ponder, “This is not the life I wanted.”

But then I would think about Steve’s patience with me during the difficult seasons in my life. Five years into our marriage I wrestled with pain, shame, and grief related to my childhood.

It wasn’t pretty. I was miserable and cried —a lot. Having a wife that wept uncontrollably likely wasn’t what my husband dreamed of in a second marriage, either.

My dad died in 2010. Along with him went all the little girl hopes and dreams I had for what our relationship could have been. Because of this I’ve made the mistake of thinking Steve can and should meet the needs in my life. However, it’s not his job to create in me a sense of significance, fulfillment, and peace—that’s up to someone much mightier. I’m placing a terrible burden on my husband when I expect him to meet those needs and fill a God-sized role.

I’m sure Steve felt helpless during my seasons of emotional healing, but he tenderly offered support and a listening ear. His faithfulness is one of the things I admire the most about him.

And there is more to love. When Steve’s sons were young I watched him weep more tears than I could count over issues related to his divorce. I was totally unaware that a man could hurt that deeply over his children. Sometimes his grief was related to the death of the dream he had for his children to grow up in a stable 2 parent home. Often it was fear that his children didn’t know and believe how deeply he loved (and loves) them.

If that isn’t enough Steve has excellent Bible knowledge and financial skills which got us completely out of debt. He created a trust account and we met a lawyer that organized our will and finances in a way that makes it very easy for me to understand. Steve knows I’m concerned about my financial future should he die before me. He has diligently gone out of his way to make me feel secure.

Is stepfamily life considerably harder that I thought it would be? Yes. Have I felt like throwing in the towel numerous times in the past 26 years? Yes.

But I’m so glad I didn’t.

Happy Father’s Day, Steve. Marrying you is the second best decision of my life. Jesus is the first.