Before I share how my husband, Sam, leads our family well, I want to give a little background of our relationship. Sam and I are the same age, and we met in 4th grade. His family moved to Greece from our 8th grade year to the Summer before our senior year of high school. Sam and I reconnected over MySpace (don’t judge, ha!) and began emailing back and forth the year before he moved back home. Nerd alert: I kept all of those emails and put them in a book for us! We dated senior year, broke up, and then began dating again freshman year of college. We dated long distance all 4 years of college and got married in July right after we graduated. We’ve been married for 5.5 years now!
Sam and I got to know each other very well during the year of writing back and forth. You really get to know one’s heart through letters! I quickly learned that Sam is a one-of-a-kind man! Sam has so many wonderful qualities, and I could write for days about him, but I’ll save you all some time. I’ve chosen my favorite three leadership qualities about him, and I’d love to share them with you.
Sam is wise.
Sam is wise beyond his years. His experiences like living abroad, traveling, and mission trips all contribute to his knowledge about life. He knows about the world. He knows about hurt and joy. But godly wisdom is not just knowledge, it’s making decisions based on God’s best for us.
Part of being wise is knowing Who guides you. Sam goes to the Lord first. He knows that the Lord directs our steps. We laugh when people ask us our 5-year plan because we’ve seen the Lord, multiple times, make us do a total 180°. But we know that the Lord knows what’s best for us and He will guide us. Sam has a much easier time trusting that than me!
Sam is trustworthy.
Sam has never met an enemy. He might be shy when you first meet him, but you can’t help but like him! You can trust Sam with your life. Sam doesn’t go back on his word. If you want to tell someone a secret and know that that secret is safe, tell Sam. He knows what to tell certain people and what to hold back. He knows if something is beneficial for someone to hear or if it’s better not being said.
Sam also avoids gossip and sarcasm. And he calls me out on it! Plain and simple, Sam does what he says he’s going to do.
Sam has a heart for those less fortunate.
Sam is compassionate and loving towards those less fortunate than us. He isn’t scared away or timid; in fact, he runs to the needy. His heart extends past our neighbors and our community. He has a heart for the world. That is a quality that first drew me to Sam. We share this love.
Sam volunteers in the county jail to share the love of Christ to the men there. He is drawn to the kids at camp (where he works) that come from a broken home or have a hard life. He loves world missions and loves traveling to other countries with the goal of sharing the Gospel.
Sam constantly encourages me, challenges me to get out of my comfort zone, and loves me in my worst. He always points me back to Jesus and continues to lead our family the best way possible – towards our Savior. He is not just a leader in our family, but he is a leader in his job, in the church, and among our friends and family. I am eternally grateful that the Lord gave Sam to me as my husband, father of my kids (yes, another Pineda baby coming in September!!) and best friend!
