Last night I was casually scrolling through tweetdeck on my husband’s iPhone. I saw a tweet by Ali Sweeny (from Biggest Loser) that said she was excited to watch Jeff Probst on Survivor tonight. HUH? SURVIOVR? TONIGHT?! Holy Toledo. I totally forgot!
It was about 7:20, so we raced home, threw the kids in the bed and then revved up the Tivo. I love every second of Survivor. I love how Jeff says the same thing every single episode, “20 People. 39 Days. ONE SURVIVOR.” and my favorite Probst line? “Come on in guys!”
<<SPOILERS BEGIN HERE>>
Anyway, that’s not the point of this post. This post is about Wendy Jo and her husband. Wendy Jo is a goat farmer. She’s got an accent, a funny coat and wears a white cowboy hat. In one of Wendy Jo’s first interview she said, “My husband said I’m going to be the first one voted off.”
WHAAT?
I turned to Les and said, “Seriously? What a jerk. Imagine getting on SURVIVOR and having your husband say you’ll get kicked off first.” To make matters worse, Wendy Jo says the reason her husband thinks she’ll get kicked off is becasue she talks too much.
REALLY?
So, what does Wendy Jo do? Does she shrug off her jerk of a husband and trust her instincts? Does she laugh at her imbecile husband and do what she wants? Nope. She says, “So, I’m going to hide my true self and not talk so much. I don’t want to annoy anyone.” (<—my paraphrase)
I LITERALLY FEEL SICK RIGHT NOW.
The show goes on and Wendy Jo is neither a strong player, a weak player, an annoying player or a great player. She’s just there. It’s the first week. I mean, who knows what anyone is like, right?
Well, we get to tribal council and what do you know, Wendy Jo is voted off. She gives a crazy speech beforehand about how she’s really funny and talkative and trusthworthy. But you know what? Too little, too late. She sealed her fate and went home first…
JUST LIKE HER HUSBAND SAID.
I was so mad when the episode was over. How dare her husband ridicule her? How dare her husband belittle her? How dare he have so much control over her that she would hide her real self?
Not only did her husband lose a million dollars, he also damaged her spirit.
I know I don’t know this man and his wife. She may be just a complete weirdo and that’s why she got kicked off. But I was so shocked and saddened by the idea that a man would not think his wife worthy. God has clear instructions for husbands to love their wives fiercely. (See Ephesians 5:25-28)
But there are even more words about the power of our words and how we need to use our words to build others up and encourage them:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)
or I like the way the Message paraphrase puts it:
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
Each word a gift. I want to speak words to my children and my husband that are equivalent to gifts. If my husband wants to go out for Survivor, a rodeo, political office or the roller derby, I want to support him with my actions and my words!
(Well, maybe not for the roller derby…)
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