Well Deserved Props

by Robert Earl Houston

It is 3:45 a.m. EST and I’ve just went through a physical episode. Sometimes you go through these kinds of things post surgery. It’s been a whirlwind of the last few weeks. From a suspicious mole, two biopsies, confirmation of a cancer (melanoma), surgery which entailed removal of a portion of skin down to the fat layer, grafting of skin from my groin to my foot, being placed in a durable splint, prescribed pretty strong medicines and a knee scooter, unable to walk up stairs, having to turn our living room into a bedroom, and basically unable to move and function.

But she’s been there.

My wife, Jessica Georgette Houston, deserves some well deserved props. This has been the most stressful season in our years of marriage, but she has confirmed to me that (a) the Holy Spirit truly led me to her and (b) He who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing.

She has had to take off from her job to take care of her husband – and let me say, I know, I’m not a day at the beach to deal with. But she does it with a smile and grace that is incredible. She has done so even with her own mother being hospitalized days before my surgery. I wanted to send her home to Sacramento to see about her mother and she refused, “I need to be with my husband.” 

Today, she went to church and represented me today and brought greetings and an update to the church. She has cooked, cleaned, prepared a diet for me during this downtime and made sure that everything’s in place. Our master bedroom is upstairs and the day before surgery, we discussed that I wouldn’t be able to make the stairs and she said, “we’re going to sleep downstairs.” She gave up the comfort of our new King Sized Bed (we had just purchased a new mattress) to sleep on an oversized love seat.

She’s had to assist her 6’2, 300+ pound husband out of his chair – because I can’t rise of my own strength. She’s prepared sponge baths for me to utilize because even if I could go up the stairs, I can’t take my normal showers right now due to my surgical dressing.

I just want to put on the record that I appreciate and am thankful for my wife. She’s a gorgeous, godly woman. She is the First Lady of First Baptist Church and she does it with style and elegance. She’s my confidant, my right arm, my left arm – she’s all that and a bag of chips.

So, I just want to give the girl her props. You hear a lot about dysfunctional pastor-wife relationships, but I’m grateful to God for the woman of God that He has brought into my life. We’ve come this far by faith and the best part of it is, we’ve been leaning on the Lord, trusting in His name, He’s never failed us yet.  Please keep Jessica in your prayers as she ministers to her husband.

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