“What stories do you have tonight?” That’s the question a co-worker’s wife told a group of friends that she looks forward to asking her husband every day when he comes home from work. She takes a genuine interest in his job to the point that one of her greatest daily joys is hearing about his efforts to take dominion in the workplace.
As I heard this couple recounting their nightly ritual, I was encouraged by what a good indicator of a gospel-centered marriage this is. When wives ask their husbands questions like “what stories do you have tonight?” it reveals several signs of a healthy marriage:
A Sign of Communication: One of the anchors of any Christ-honoring marriage is strong communication. Nightly routines that include questions like this one provide a fertile seed bed for great discussions to grow. For men (especially those who are not inclined to be talkative), how you invest in your wife through after-work conversations reveals a lot about your leadership of the marriage.
A Sign of Respect: At the end of Paul’s passage on marriage in Ephesians 5:33, he implores each wife to “see that she respects her husband.” There are few ways that a wife can show more respect to her husband than taking an interest in his work. Just a simple question like “what stories do you have tonight?” can demonstrate the way that a wife respects her husband and cares about what he does.
A Sign of Adventure: Bound up in the kingdom mandate of Genesis 1 for humanity to take dominion over the created order is a sense of adventure. This is especially the case after the fall because of Satan and sin’s opposition to man’s vocation. When a husband spends his days staring at spreadsheets or sitting in meetings, few things can remind him of the adventure linked to his work than a wife taking an interest in his role.
Throughout our years of marriage, my wife Cami has constantly encouraged me in my work, simply by asking good questions about it. Maybe just adding a simple question like “what stories do you have tonight?” to your evening routine can be something that transforms your marriage for years to come.
In my pantry sits a case of one of the most glorious beverages ever created…Dublin Dr Pepper. It takes regular Dr Pepper taste to a whole nutha’ level because it is sweetened by imperial cane sugar.
Have you ever heard of Elmer Gantry??? Neither had I before I was asked to participate with several other students in an interview with National Public Radio. Elmer Gantry was the lead character in a novel by the same name written by Sinclair Lewis in the 1920′s. As a charlatan revival preacher, Gantry traveled the country peddling the gospel for personal profit rather than eternal rewards. The novel was turned into a film in the 1960′s that garnered several Academy Awards.
