Relationships Talk

Back in early 2017, my wife and I attended a marriage preparation weekend where we were presented with a lot of tips and tricks for making a marriage work.

“Never go to bed angry,” “Hold hands when you argue to help you remember your love being bigger than the argument,” and “Never keep score!”

That last one is actually pretty good advice.

It’s absolutely one hundred percent not helpful to keep track of how many times you’ve taken the trash to the curb, picked up the dirty socks on the floor, or showed up with flowers after work and then compare that to how many times your spouse has responded a similar way. That isn’t what marriage is about.

Marriage is about giving of yourself completely, sacrificing yourself for the good of your spouse, and ensuring your spouse gets to heaven when it’s all said and done. Keeping score doesn’t help you accomplish any of those goals, so there truly is no place for it in a marriage…until one of you is asked to be a Godparent.

My wife made the cut back in 2013. Six years and two kids into our marriage and she was already getting drafted into one of the biggest responsibilities a Catholic friend can get drafted into! I was proud of her! It was such a great blessing to have her recognized for her incredible commitment to her faith. She was an inspiration to me on a daily basis, and it was a delight to see that she was an inspiration to others as well.

And I don’t mean to put my confessional material out there, but I was also a little bit jealous.

Seeing her standing up there as her Godson was welcomed into the Church through the sacrament of Baptism, watching her spend time with him and develop a special relationship with him like no other I’d ever seen her be a part of, it was a beautiful thing; a beautiful thing I wanted in my life as well!

Well, it’s now five years later, and it has finally happened! Last month, I was the one standing up in Church watching my Goddaughter get baptized (the sister of my wife’s Godson, in fact), and it was hard to contain myself! I was bursting with pride during the entire event, smiling with joy during the pictures afterward, and carrying myself with a little more Catholic confidence ever since.

Sure, keeping score in a marriage is a bad idea, but I’m not going to lie, there have been numerous references over the past few days to the reality that my wife and I are now tied in the Godchild department.

Pray for me as I embark on a new mission to help lead this beautiful daughter of Christ to a life of holiness, and pray for my wife that she can put up with all the gloating I’ve been doing since the Baptism.

The only question left to answer is: Who gets the call next?!?!

Tommy Tighe is a Catholic husband and father of five boys. You can find out more about him at CatholicHipster.com.

Start your day with Always Forward, our award-winning e-newsletter. Get this smart, handpicked selection of the day’s top news, analysis and opinion, delivered to your inbox. Sign up absolutely free today!