I Love My Wife

If there’s one thing that COVID-19 has taught me, it’s that I’m not as awesome as I thought I was. Where I was able to hide my insecurities, failures, and inadequacies behind a wall of humor and bickering with friends, I was now forced to stay at home with my beautiful wife and our amazing son. This is not good for them.

My wife is a God-fearing woman who tells it how it is. She tells me how I didn’t wash the dishes right or how I should call back that friend because I said I would. She’s constantly pushing me to be a better person. I love her for that; I honestly do.

For this reason, I value her opinion. She knows me better than anybody else (except God) and she has my best interests in mind. I trust what she has to say. So, whenever she says, “Hey babe, maybe you shouldn’t wear that shirt with those pants”, I listen to her. Especially because I have a bad track record with fashion and clothing.

There have been numerous people in my life that have given me their thoughts, opinions, or suggestions. This is not a bad thing but, unwanted help can be very tiring. Especially when those people don’t really know me, don’t know my motivations, and don’t have my best interests in mind. Although I hear them out, I don’t always have to listen, and that’s OK. I don’t value their opinions as much as I value my wife’s.

In today’s world, we are very eager, and easily swayed, to listen to what somebody has to say, and we change who we are as individuals in order to comply with that opinion. But believe me when I say that there’s only one opinion that should matter the most in your life: that is what God has to say about you.

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I am a moron”, “I am not smart enough”, “I am not skilled enough”, “there’s somebody better for this job”, “I’m not educated enough”, or “I’ll never be able to do this”? Those could very well be lies that have changed your perception about who you are and, more importantly, who you were created to be.

It says in the book of Genesis, chapter 3, that when God created mankind, He said it was “very good”, not just good like everything else He made. When He made you and me, He was happy with what He created. Actually, He was very happy.

The only voice and opinion that should matter in our lives is God’s, who says that He loves us, who calls us beautiful and that we are wonderfully and fearfully made. He has set aside good works for us to do and He will help us do them. He says that we are loved. He says that He wants to show us some wonderful things. He gives wisdom to those who ask for it and He does so freely (read the book of James).

Instead of listening to the endless fountain of negativity, damnation, and inconsistency that the world has to offer, I encourage you to listen to the voice of God and believe what He says about you. In a world where everybody has an opinion, the Creator’s opinion should be the only one that matters.

 

Mauricio Paredes
Junior High Pastor