30 Days of Thankful- Day #2

I had every intention of saving this one for near the end.

Then I came home from being away for 2 days.

And discovered....................He cleaned.

It would appear one way to my heart is a man with a bottle of 409 in his hand.

Today, I am very thankful for my husband, Curtis Robert.  (normally I only use those two names together when I disapprove of something he has said or done. Today it is with love)

I have had the distinct honor of being in the front row seat at God's amazing transformation of a life. I have watched as an "old self" has died and a new creation in Christ was born. It has been one of the most beautiful things to behold. I've given birth to 4 children and yet, the rebirth of Curtis Robert Ebert still holds more amazement and wonder to me than any of those.

For those that have only known the "new" Curt, you missed out on seeing God's grace, love, forgiveness and mercy in action. I never should have been dating him. I knew it. I was "saved", he was not. I knew it from the beginning, but I wanted so much for that to not matter. Young girls reading this...it does. It matters a lot.

Without going into details, our first years were hard. I praise God for my Uncle Troy who was able to see God working in Curt. He was able to see the conviction Curt was under and he was there to answer the hundreds of questions Curt had. I will never forget the night that Curt was saved. I could almost see the scales fall from his eyes. The moment he realized he was a sinner, needed Jesus and what He had done on the cross for each one of us, and fully accepted it, making Christ his Lord was a moment I will never forget. I wasn't the instrument God had used to finalize the deal, but I was a key player and THAT is a very cool thing.

The only problem was, Curt didn't grow. He wasn't discipled or mentored and he fell into old habits. The difference this time, he knew what he was doing was wrong. He had the Holy Spirit convicting him of that.

Then, Curt began to lose his vision. I truly believe that God will allow us to fall to a place so deep that the only way out is by turning to Him. I believe it because I have watched it happen to two of the most important men in my life, my dad and my husband.

Leaving my husband at home every day while I went to work was hard. I was scared. I had no idea what I would come home to and I don't mean, "Look at this place! Can't you even do the dishes?" type of thing. Curt had fallen into a depression. There were a couple of days that I would call home on every break to make sure he answered the phone.

I came home one day to a sight that still brings tears to my eyes. His Bible was open.

And THAT was the beginning of everything we are today.

Curt has no formal Bible education. Everything he has learned is by spending time with God through prayer and reading of God's word. Curt is one of the most intelligent men I know. He is patient. He is kind. He is loving. He wears his heart on his sleeve which makes it easy to pierce.

He loves his God and wants everyone to have the joy, peace and security he has.

And, he loves me. And that is something hard to do some days.

I want to encourage those of you reading that may have spouses that are not saved to pray. Pray fervently. Pray continuously. Recruit others to pray with you. Pray as if the salvation of your spouse is the only thing that matters, because it is! And then when you have prayed some more, GET OUT OF THE WAY and let God work. I was a huge hindrance for years because I tried to be the Holy Spirit. Praise God I am not because my vision was much smaller than God's vision. I just wanted Curt to go to church with me each Sunday without a fight.

Instead, I got a man that seeks God's heart and is leading our family to do the same. Instead, I got a man that thrives on God's word and desires to spend time in prayer with Him. Instead, I got a man. And he is MY man. And he cleaned up his mess yesterday.

Cuz, he loves me :-)