The Heart Behind the Badge

            This day marks my husband's retirement from  28 years in law enforcement.  We have been married almost 25 of those years. It seems cliche to say it, but I will anyway...he is my hero. 

      Many times, especially at the beginning of our marriage, I feared for his safety, yet he walked with unexplainable bravery.  His passion never waned for the duty he felt called to perform. His ability to face emotionally charged situations with unwavering calm, his commitment to integrity no matter the situation, his endless concern for the good of others, are just a few of the things that have painted a priceless portrait of a godly man of courage for me and our children. He has taught me much about trusting in the Lord’s will and protection and living each day to it’s fullest. A man of few words, whose life has spoken much. His life has been lived through his actions, speaking silently of... 

                                        

                The Heart Behind the Badge

To the world you may have appeared to have a tough exterior or a quiet solitude, but I know the heart behind the badge. 

Together we have lived the ups and downs, the highs and lows, that only those behind the badge and those whose hearts they hold really know....

~I have seen the way your heart has been transformed by the surrendering. The laying down of your life each morning at the feet of God Himself. 

I have watched with grateful eyes how you always start your days with coffee and Christ, praying for His leading that you may lead us in His ways. Seeing the man He has made you over the days and years has been what makes me love you most. 

~I know the heart that I have placed my trust in for 25 years. That you have held my trust like precious glass, always careful to keep it unbroken, do you know what that has meant to me? 

~I know a heart that has written countless notes of love and encouragement, never failing to speak those 3 words to me every day.  All the "I love you’s" add up, you know. They’ve had the power to shape me into a wife who is secure in the place she holds in your heart... never having to fear your leaving or straying. Do you know what a priceless gift that peace has been in my heart? The freedom it has given me?  

~I know the heart that loves our children. I have seen the way you have cradled them, kissed their boo-boos, corrected their wanderings and set them on the path of life. The quiet way you have provided them with your strength and security, always pointing them, with your life, to the One Who is your source of strength. 

~I see the way your heart can be melted by their smiles...the way your loving them is teaching them to love others. 

~And I have seen the heart that loves the broken, the hurting and the lost. It is at the core of who you are and what you do. I have seen your life poured out for the hundreds of teenage faces through decades of youth ministry and missions. I know the impact you have made on the hearts and lives of those young people...who have learned and seen in you what being a man of courage really means. 

~I have watched your passion to share God’s plan for marriage with couples and other men. I know the heart that goes the extra mile to pour into those men and women, so that the legacy they leave will speak of the sacrificial love of Christ for generations to come. Do you know how this grows my love for you to even greater depths? 

~I have seen the tears you shed over fellow officers who have been hurt or killed. The overwhelming heartbreak I dare not imagine for too long.

~There is a  sweet grace in living with a man who is daily willing to lay down his own life for not only me and our family, but for our neighbors, our friends, and even strangers.

When most people look at you, they see a police officer...they see tough, they see brave, they see strong...but I see so much more. I see the heart behind the badge...and I am blessed to know that such a heart belongs to me. 

I love you my husband. You will forever be my hero.