Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Stacy Averette
I was born in the sixties, a child in the seventies, and survived as a teenager in the eighties. I had big hair and big ideas about conquering the world. I dated in high school but had no intention of getting married any time soon. Actually, I had it all planned.
I Don’t Need A Man
My plan was simple and it did not include looking for a husband.
Go to college
And Vet School
(I secretly wanted to be an archeologist more than a veterinarian which explains #3)
Travel the world.
Get married.
In that order.
Then I met him.
I tried not to like him.
But I fell in love.
And got married at 20.
He’s six months to the day younger than me, and I can’t imagine my life without him.
We’ve been together all of our adult life.
Together, we’ve learned how to be adults, husband and wife, parents, and Christ-followers.
We’ve made a lot of mistakes and hurt each other deeply.
By the grace of God, we’re still here, together.
Today, October 11, is his birthday.
We’ll have our morning coffee and Bible reading time together before he goes to the office.
I’ll iron his shirt while he takes a shower.
We’ll celebrate with a meal at home with our adult children.
And we’ll splurge by eating cake.
I texted him this week to ask what kind of birthday cake he wanted.
“Carrot cake white icing,” was his reply.
“I didn’t know you like carrot cake!” I responded.
See. Still learning about each other after all these years.
I went to the store and bought a carrot cake mix and vanilla icing.
God In His Wisdom
Some of you may already know that Eat, Pray, Love is one of our favorite movies. We’ve watched it dozens of times. It’s one of the “travel movies” we love.
I shared in a FB post today that I’m a homebody who wants to see the whole world before I die. I’ve wanted to travel since my teens and he shares that desire. (If someone wants to pay us or pay for us to travel we’d be open to that. Just sayin’.)
Back to the movie.
While in Bali, Liz Gilbert says: “I’m sick of everyone telling me I need a man.”
Felipe responds: “You don’t need a man, Liz, you need a champion.”
I swear I get choked up every single time I watch that scene.
As a teenager, I dated and even had a few boyfriends. I didn’t keep any of them very long.
I remember thinking, “I don’t want a man, and I certainly don’t need one.”
God was preparing me for so much more.
He gave me a champion.
A champion is this:
- a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in a competition
- a person who fights or argues for a cause or on behalf of someone else.
I haven’t always known what to do with that—-I’ve had to learn how love and live with a champion husband.
For The Men
Eric is my champion and my friend. But anyone (men) can be a champion.
You have the opportunity to be a champion for the women in your life—for your wife, daughter, sister, mother, friend; and the invitation to be a Champion for Christ.
We (women) need you (men) to be champions.
Here’s what I know about a champion:
He doesn’t ask or wait for permission to act like a champion.
He doesn’t announce that he is one. (He can be a champion without receiving praise for being one.)
He lives and loves like a champion no matter the score or the fouls or the unsportsmanlike conduct
of the other players.
He doesn’t just fight and win for himself but for those around him, too.
He doesn’t consider his teammate (i.e. wife) a rival to defeat.
He doesn’t make excuses or blame.
He carries the load when needed but isn’t afraid to ask for help.
He knows that the God of the Angel Armies is his Champion and he is helpless and hopeless
apart from His strength and power.
The Wife of a Champion
I’m a mess.
I’m tough as nails, fiercely independent, and won’t hesitate to give my opinion.
He’s quiet and thoughtful but he ain’t skeered.
I’m often insecure, hyper, hard-headed, and dramatic. He’s steady, strong, and safe.
He knows his job is to love me like Christ loves the church and he does it well.
He fights with me and for me against all my rivals—the ones that threaten my identity as the Daughter of a King.
I respect him more than any man I’ve ever known.
He makes me want to be a better wife, mother, sister, teacher, writer, and friend. I’m looking forward to celebrating his birthday today, but my greatest privilege is to celebrate him every day.
Women:
Some of you have a champion in your life. Thank God for him every day and let your man know he’s your champion.
Some of you may wish for a champion in your life. The man you married, the one you call Father, or the son you raised aren’t what you’d call a champion.
Nagging won’t help.
Prayer will.
Pray first for you to be a woman who fears the Lord and obeys Him. Pray for your husband, son, father, or brother to lead and love like Christ.
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Ephesians 5:23-24