31 Days: An Interesting Exercise

In order to illustrate the difference between a list/rules mindset and a heart mindset, I think it would be fun to do a little exercise. I am calling this exercise: Choosing the Best Spouse.......

The first individual you have to consider is a very conscientious man. He never gets upset, angry, moody, grouchy or stressed out. He always remembers Birthdays and Anniversaries and buys roses and gifts for all the appropriate holidays. He is a hardworking man. He makes plenty of money and provides for his family's every possible need or want. He tithes religiously and gives his 10% to the church. He is the perfect gentleman - opening doors for the ladies, offering them his seat, helping the old man struggling up the church steps, speaking courteously and politely to all he meets. He washes the dishes for his wife every Sunday. He puts the children to bed at night while she rocks the baby. He makes certain to have Bible reading and prayer with his family every day. He helps at the soup kitchen, and is at every work project, disaster relief opportunity and church function he can possibly attend. In short, if you can think of an action that a "perfect" man does that I haven't mentioned, he does it. He checks every box on every to do list possible. By all appearances, he is the Perfect Man.

The next individual you have to consider is not quite so perfect. He *does* have a temper and can get very upset. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it can be very embarrasing. He is a conscientious man though, and tries to apologize and make things right to the best of his ability. He doesn't always give his wife roses on Valentine's day or presents for her birthday or anniversary. He isn't a big gift giver and mostly says "Happy Birthday" and "I Love You" as his way of remembering special occasions. He is a hardworking man and makes good money, but he has a soft spot in his heart for the unfortunate and so has given quite a bit of his money to help the needy people he meets along the way. His family is taken care of, but they never have the nicer or fancier things and their house is rather small and cramped. His bank account is not overflowing by any means and some people think he should learn to manage his money better. He is not a person who does well at lists. A set time for family devotions is not something he views as important. He tries to teach his family about God in their day to day activities, pointing out God's handiwork in nature or asking his children about the words of a song they just sang and discussing what it means. He spends a lot of time with his family. They do lots of things together. Little things, like going to the park or playing games together and big things, like Zoo Trips or a week spent camping in the summer. In short, if it's on a list, he probably hasn't checked it off. Generally he is so busy spending time with his wife and family he doesn't have time to worry much about lists.

Sadly for both of these men, their wives have died and they are left alone with a family and no mother. By some odd coincidence, they both have asked you to be their wife. Which one would you choose?