How to be a Heroic Husband
It was an epic battle; one waged in the middle of the night with nothing but our instincts and intellect to see who would be the victor. What began just a couple of minutes after the stroke of midnight ended over a half-hour later. I came out on top of this battle, the conqueror over nature.
I caught the mouse.
We had a mouse loose in our bathroom. That little critter refused to just get on the sticky trap (what was he thinking?), so I forged into the bathroom with a sword and shield to slay the beast.
(Okay, so it was a dustpan and plastic sack. Let me have my moment, please.)
Finally, 35 minutes later, I emerged victorious and cleared our house of this nuisance that we had been trying to catch for about three days.
It was when I returned back in the house from disposing of the furry creature that my precious wife said those words that every man longs to hear. Well, first she made certain I had finished the job by asking, “Did you catch it?”
(Not too romantic so far, I know.)
When I was able to nod my head, though, she said, “You’re my hero.”
Her hero.
That’s what every man longs for in his heart. There is something deep down in a man’s chest that wants a beautiful lady–which my wife is–to call him her hero.
But when she said it that night, something inside me finally clicked.
Too often, the Hollywood version of a hero has to sail across the seas to slay a dragon (not just a mouse). It is the major event, one that provides the epic moment. It’s as if that one event wins the heart of the girl, and then…well…they live happily ever after.
Husbands, I want us all to come to an important realization. If you want to be your wife’s hero, I can give you a one-step process.
You ready? Here it is: slay a dragon.
Every day.
…and your pride is that dragon.
What I mean is simply this: there is something you can do every day to slay the dragon of self and show your wife that she means more to you than anyone else.
It is not a single epic battle. It is a daily practice of doing something to show your wife that her life is more important than your self.
What could it look like?
Maybe you need to slay the dragon of debt. It could be something as simple as cutting up a credit card or selling that prized boat or collectible gun to put the financial security of your family before your hobbies.
Maybe you need to slay the dragon of passing on spiritual leadership. Lead your family in a prayer before breakfast, or sit down and read a few verses of the Bible to your kids tonight.
Maybe you need to slay the dragon of apathy. Get off the couch and roughhouse with the kids some. Do the dishes after supper. Prepare a family budget. Help your kids with their homework.
Maybe you need to slay the dragon of taking your wife for granted. Send her a text (right now would be good) just telling her that you love her. Plan your next date night and put it on your calendar–and let nothing take its place on that calendar.
Maybe you need to slay the dragon of laziness by catching that mouse, instead of expecting her to do it!
But here’s the thing: you cannot believe the Hollywood hype. Being your wife’s hero does not happen with one epic battle and then all is well forever and ever.
Being your wife’s hero happens daily, with decisions that may seem small, but that build in her heart a trust for the one who is putting her first every single day. The man who shows that winning her heart is a daily desire; not a one-time event.
I want to be my wife’s hero. Often–very often–I am anything but heroic, but a decision every day to put her first will help me win her heart daily.
It may not have involved dramatic music or an epic battle made for the big screen. But catching a furry little mouse in the middle of the night was enough to remind this husband that he can be his wife’s hero.
If I can say that I have done something every day to keep that heroic status with my wife, what could be better than that? My name may never be in a heroic tale or an epic film, but in the heart of a beautiful lady who wears my name, I can be a hero. That’s what matters.
…and they lived happily ever after.
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
