Happy Birthday, Josh!

Well, I'm a day late in writing this, because Josh has been working on an exegesis paper until all hours, so I have not had access to our computer at all. This is not a complaint -- I'm proud of how smart Josh is and how hard he works.

So my husband is 29, like me. The longer we are married, and the more we are around one another, the more grateful I am that the Lord has given me this person to walk through life with. Here are some Josh-specific things that I have come to enjoy more than I thought possible back when we were celebrating his 20th birthday:

• His love for the Word, and truth. It is amazing to watch someone grow in godliness before your very eyes; it is even more amazing when it is your husband. His growth is visible. He is far more patient, more humble, and more passionate about the gospel at 29 than ever before. I say those things to honor him. He was a great guy when I married him. But even after a sort of "Reformation" period in his life, I see his growth abounding and not plateauing at all. I cannot say what a blessing it is to have your chief spiritual adviser and accountability partner to share your home with.
• His love for people. A few years ago, Josh might have noted this as a main struggle, spiritually. You could never guess that now by the way he invests in his friends, and kindly loves the unlovable around him. He reaches out to the nonbelievers at work, showing the greatest love for them by sharing the gospel with them at his own personal risk of incurring their judgment or dislike.
  
• His adaptability. Being flexible and adaptable comes mainly from living your life not insisting on your own rights, and building up expectations. I have recently noticed Josh, who has always been rather easy-going, intentionally lay down his own preferences to adapt to what others would prefer. This is a quality that makes him a delight to live with. When Josh says he doesn't care what we have for supper, he really means it! He doesn't have an idol of food that must be satisfied every time he eats -- he is satisfied in Christ. What a blessing for a wife who is doing the best she can, and is always spread a bit thin in the homemaking department.
  

Happy Birthday, Josh! You are an example of the kind of husband a girl should hope and pray for, and I am so proud to be able to refer to you in that way.