It’s no secret that I love John Legend. I think he is talented and the lyrics to his songs typically touch me in a pretty powerful way. His music speaks to me on so many levels, and it has for years.

Like so many of you, I just adore his song, “All of Me.” Talk about a song that really gets to the bottom of what it means to truly be vulnerable and love someone. But there is this one line in that song that really gets me, almost bringing me to tears every time.

“The world is beating you down, I’m around through every mood.”

It seems so simple…but boy is it powerful. I am fortunate enough to live what I consider a very blessed life. My children are happy and healthy, I married a man I love, and I am pursuing my dreams. I take none of that for granted. However, there have been some very challenging moments in my life over the years. And in the midst of those challenges, my husband was right by my side. Sometimes telling me what I needed to hear, sometimes telling me what I don’t want to hear, and sometimes not saying a word at all – but still, always by my side.

You know those moments where you feel like the world really is beating you down—like you just can’t win. Yea, I’ve definitely had some of those. And in those painful beat-down moments, I know that I haven’t always been the easiest person to live with. I know that my pain has impacted the energy I give off in my house. But I also know that my husband is still here. He has dealt with my moods. He has given me space when I needed it. He has been my strength when I don’t have any left.

So although love is absolutely wonderful and there are 101 things that I cherish about my partnership, the most important thing my husband gives me is knowing that when the world is beating me down, he is around. It doesn’t mean it’s easy for him to be around, and it doesn’t mean I even acknowledge him being around in midst of my painful moments. It simply means that he is around because that is the commitment he made. He is around because he loves me with all he’s got.

In my humble opinion, the true measure of a man is what he does in times of distress and pain. How does he handle things when they aren’t easy. How does he react when the woman he loves is catching a beat down and he can’t fix it. If he stays by your side through it all, having faith that things will improve, that is a beautiful thing.

The world beats us all down from time to time. It’s inevitable. What does your spouse do when the world is beating you down? What do you do when your spouse is the one getting beat on by the world?