In the past two weeks, I’ve had a front row seat to observe in people that I love, strength and stamina that’s hard to measure. In this series of posts, I want to HONOR them. Today, I want to honor my Father-in-law, Ray Barndt.
God’s word tells us…Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church. Many times I wish God would have left that out of scripture. Why? Because you can’t get the bar any HIGHER! However, if there is a mortal man that could be an example of this, it is…
Ray Barndt
Ray has loved and cherished his bride, Josephine, for 50 years! 34 of those years, she had cancer. Think about that…not days, weeks or months, not even several years…but 34 years! I have watched Ray silently thru the years serve and care for his bride. From surgeries, from hospital stays, to keeping track of her medicine, to taxiing her to numerous doctors. Ray’s list was never ending. I don’t know how he stayed sane, but he never complained. He just did it.
All the way till the end. He just did it.
I watched Ray sleep by his bride’s hospital bed on a small twin bed. (I don’t think he ever really slept in the past month). I watched Ray as he would sit with his bride during the day and talk to her even though she couldn’t talk back. But, she did manage to pucker her lips at him to send him a kiss. If there ever was a woman who felt unconditional love…it was Ray’s bride, Josephine.
Ray, you are Remarkable! Not just in human eyes but in HEAVEN’S EYES! Jesus said the greatest in the Kingdom are those that serve. I have never met a person who has served someone MORE than you. You are the essence of HONOR. Thank you for being an example to ALL of us. Thank you for modeling what a real MAN is. Thank you for setting the bar for all of us…now we must guard the bar.
I will do my best to honor my bride and your daughter as you have honored your bride and her mother.
That kind of love and dedicated is rare these days. What a GODLY Man. What a blessed woman she was to have this kind of love in today’s society when it is so easy for people to take the easy way out. I honor and respect and love this man whom I did not know personally. He was truly a blessing in his family. More marriages should be like this. <3 Stefi
WOW….. Thank you for both honoring Ray and sharing Ray and
Josephine! This is what God intended for our lives to be. Ray you
lived up to the vow you took with such commitment. You don’t know
how many lives you have touched. I hope Josephine can see what is
happening to all of our lives by sharing this. Our thoughts and
prayers are with you still. THANK YOU