Perspective is a funny thing. With each
new experience in life, our perspectives change, and so do we. Each new
experience expands our minds like the ray of the sun creeping across the floor.
When Bryan and I were still in school, I remember feeling we never had time for
one another. I couldn't wait until Bryan started working, and we would have—what I
thought—all the time in the world. However, when Bryan landed his first job, it
was with a big five firm in Seattle, and the hours required of him were not what I was expecting. The hours that he was required to put into
his job were incredibly hard on me—we definitely did not have the "all the time in the world" as I was expecting.
When Amber was a newborn baby, I remember pacing the floors with her, and
watching the clock. There were times when I had to remind myself that he was
working, so he could provide for our family. Sometimes I simply didn't understand why his work would require so much of his time. One evening after a particularly hard week, Bryan came home early, so he could
go home teaching. I remember sitting on the stairs of our home, as he was preparing to leave, and begging him to
stay. With his hand on the doorknob, Bryan slowly turned. He looked into my
tear-stained face, and slowly walked up the stairs to where I sat. He crouched
down beside me, and lifted my chin with his finger. We hugged for a moment, and
then he said something I will never forget. He said, “What kind of man would
you have me to be? I want to be with you too, but I know the Lord has called me
elsewhere. You decide. What kind of man would you have me to be?” In that
moment I knew what I wanted for him, and for our family. I knew I wanted him to
serve the Lord, and I was grateful that I had married a man that would put the
Lord first—even when I felt it was difficult. My perspective changed that day.
I gained an understanding of putting the most important things first.
