Jesus take the Wheel

You know how you sometimes get a song stuck in your head? This happens to me a lot at night so that whenever I'm conscious, even if it's just for a few moments, I have parts of the song echoing in my mind... sort of like a prayer.

Well, last night, just before we went to bed, I heard the song by Carrie Underwood - "Jesus Take the Wheel." It says, "Jesus take the wheel, I can't do this on my own." So, of course, that small portion of the song echoed through my waking moments and through my dreams. And this morning, I could clearly hear the Spirit's reply, "I'm trying but you have to let go."

It's so hard to give up the throne of our lives... the throne of our emotions... the reins that steer this little vessel through the sea of humanity but that is what God requires of us.

Rom. 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service."

Beseech - to ask with urgency and passion. What is a "living sacrifice"? One who is wholely devoted to abiding (or dwelling with) God. This is descriptive of someone who not only reads the word... a passage here and there, or takes their Bible to church on Sunday and then sets it aside until the next Sunday, but someone who applies the Word of God to every moment of every day. Someone who is constantly in prayer and having a true relationship with the Lord.

If you are truly abiding with the Lord, you are ever mindful that God's Holy Spirit is present wherever you go... the silent listener to every conversation. If we were truly abiding, would we be going into the establishments we're going into? Would we be watching or looking at the things we're looking at? Would we be saying or repeating the things we are saying?

Lord, please forgive me for not letting go.

Trust and Obey

My husband and I have been involved with and lead a "Truth Project" study series. It's by Focus on the Family and if you haven't heard of it, you should check it out. Anyway, it opened my eyes to John 8:32, "and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Most people hear that one simple verse and think... okay, I need to tell the truth and it will set me free but that's not what this verse is saying. If you read the verse in context (something you should always do anyway), starting in verse 31 and going through 36, you'll notice that Jesus is talking about Himself.

"Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If you abide in my word, then are you truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered Him, We are Abraham's seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man: why do you say, you shall be made free? Jesus answered them, truly, truly, I say to you, every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin and the bondservant abideth not in the house for ever: the son abideth for ever. If therefore, the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

In this passage we see, not only is Jesus "the truth" but that He says, "if you abide in my word, then are you truly my disciples"... so what does that mean, abide in his word? Abide means to "continue without fading or being lost."... it means to live or dwell. So, if we dwell in His word... sort of takes you back to "keep my commandments."

"And hereby we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him;" 1 John 2:3-4

So, are you keeping His commandments? Are you abiding in Him and in His Word? Are you free from sin and death?

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey
For there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey.

I know He Cares for Me

I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on the sparrow and I know He cares for me.

We went to see OctoberBaby last night and it was a wonderful testimony to God's forgiving grace. The things the world calls "coincidence" we know are God's miraculous ways. Isn't it wonderful to be in His care?

Nothing happens that God doesn't know about... things done in secret. I never have understood the mindset of one who would think about abortion. It needs to be labeled what it is... murder. There is never a reason, never an excuse. But, for those who have listened to the lies of this world... the lies of satan, God can heal, God will forgive, if you only seek His grace and mercy He will be faithful to pour it out for you.

Again, I can sing because I'm happy. I can sing because I'm free in Jesus.... for I know He cares for me.

This Little Light of Mine

Once, during a worship conference, the speaker described the moon... he mentioned that the moon has no source of light but yet it lights up our night sky. How can that be? Because it reflects the light from the sun back down to earth. Then he compared our Christian life to the moon saying that, in this same manner, we are to reflect the light of Jesus.

Today during my devotions, I was reminded of this as I read that we "are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16

Wow... the melody in my heart just leaped... I have so many songs running through my head... of course, "This Little Light of Mine" and Toby Mac's "Diverse City", but another one of my all time favorites is "Shine" by Newsboys.

"Shine
Make 'em wonder what you've got
Make 'em wish that they were not
On the outside, looking bored.

Shine
Let it shine before all men
Let 'em see good works and then
Let 'em glorify the Lord."

When that song comes on, I crank it up. But am I living it? Am I really shining the light of Jesus everywhere I go? Are you shining today? I know I haven't been very good at it lately...

As the pastor said, at the end of that conference... "let's go moon the world for the Lord".

Arise My Love - the Grave Could not hold the King!

One of my favorite songs, especially this time of year is, "Arise, My Love" by Newsong. The last verse says:

"Sin, where are your shackles?
Death, where is your sting?
Hell; has been defeated.
The grave could not hold the king.

Arise, My love.
Arise, My love.
The grave no longer
has a hold on you!

No more death's sting
No more suffering.
Arise... Arise... my love."

As we look forward to celebrating that wonderful day we call Easter, let's not forget the suffering that preceeded the grave. The suffering for you and for me. We are the reason Christ came to this earth. We are the reason He was nailed to the cross. But, the good news is, if we truly believe and confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will rise again someday, just as He arose that glorious resurrection morning.

Be Prepared for What God has in Store for You

Abigail, Nabal, and David:  Did you know that God wrote a "happily ever after" fairy tale long before Disney?  The story can be found in 2 Samuel 25:2-42 but here's my paraphrase:

David was hiding from Saul.  David had been chosen by God, to be King, but it was not yet time for him to rule.  However, just knowing David had been chosen, Saul was jealous and was seeking to harm David.  So David and his men were hiding in the wilderness and in the valley, below where they were hiding, there were shepards and herdsmen who worked for a man by the name of Nabal.  According to the scripture, Nabal means fool and, if you read the story, you'll see that he lives up to his name.

Now, while David and his men are hiding from Saul, they have also been providing protection for Nabal's men and livestock.  One day, the men are hungry so David sends to Nabal asking for provisions.  Basically Nabal tells David and his men to take a flying leap which, of course, doesn't go over too well with David.

When David hears about Nabal's reply, he is so angry he vows to kill every male on the property (and we're not just talking men... We're talking livestock as well).  When Abigail, Nabal's wife hears about what happened and that David and his men are on their way, she goes into her pantry and prepares a feast.  She takes all that she prepared and meets David's entourage, falling on her face, and apologizes for her husband's behavior.  David accepts Abigail's gifts and calls off the attack.

Abigail returns home to find Nabal partying and he is very drunk so she doesn't say anything until morning.  In the morning, when Abigail tells Nabal what she had done, he has a stroke and the scripture says, "Ten days later, God struck Nabal and he died."

When David hears that Nabal has died, he sends messengers to Abigail saying that he wants her to be his wife.

There are several things to be learned from this story but one of the things that was pointed out in a Bible study that I attended was, Abigail was prepared.  I mean, really... how many of us would be able to reach into our pantry and prepare enough food for an entourage of soldiers?  And, she was wise... she thought of a plan and executed the plan.  

I guess what I'm saying is women of the Bible are strong. Some seem to think that women were insignificant in the Bible but they were worker bees.  The woman of Proverbs 31 bought and sold property and kept her lamp burning at night while she wove her own cloth and sewed rich clothing for her family.

So, be encouraged today.  You are a princess... a child of the King.  You are beautiful, strong, and intelligent.  Use the resources God has given you to be the best wife you can be even if you don't feel your husband deserves it because that is what God requires of us.  And pray, pray, pray... pray without ceasing and never quit preparing your heart for the adventures God has in store.  Make your life a life of praise and worship and remember, "my joy comes from the Lord."

"Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." Prov. 31:30.

Letting Go and Letting God

Letting go and letting God:  When I started this project (putting my "marriage lessons" in order), I started by outlining my thoughts.  Tonight, I looked at this last thought (at least for now) and it's so poignant, because right this very minute, I'm so angry at my husband for throwing away a broken "treasure" that has taken up space in our basement for the past 12 years. That's right... 12 years.

So, since I know when to choose my battles and both of us have already made our point, I didn't want to say any more on the subject so I decided to read.  Lately, I've been reading "7 An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker.  It's a book that my husband already went through and wanted me to read (a very good book by the way).   

Anyway, I'm currently in the middle of month 3 (sorry, you'll have to read the book to find out what that means) and Jen drew a mental picture of the church people sitting around their living room, talking about the love of Jesus, while the world is burning down outside and the destitute are asking for the basic necessities of life with their noses pressed up against the window watching us drink our coffee.

Reading that made me realize I have nothing to be angry about (ok... I still don't think it needed the trashcan, but that's beside the point).  The point is, I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, a warm bed to sleep in, enough clothes I could wear something fresh every day for two weeks without doing laundry, and enough money in the bank that I wouldn't have to worry if the car broke down and here I am fuming over a trivial item that is only valuable for sentimental reasons.

So, you can see why this outlined topic is so poignant... I had meant to talk about letting go of things we cannot change and God was planning to show me another lesson on just plain "letting go".

Alright... So, I can't stay mad at him with God on his side... Besides, that would just negate the stuff I've already talked about when I talked about bitterness and not holding a grudge.  See, I'm not perfect... I don't know it all, and God is still teaching me new lessons.

Ok... Here is the lesson I had intended to share... When we pray for our husband (or anything for that matter), we need to let go of the situation and our feelings about the matter and let God do His thing.  We need to remember that He works all things together for our good.  Remember that He has a plan for our lives and it's not a plan to harm us.  We just need to trust Him and His timing and never give up praying.  

Child of the King

Being a princess:  You are a child of the King of kings!  Would a princess wallow in the mire?  Would a princess run around in rags all day without make-up?  No... most of the time, when you see or think of a princess, she's always picture perfect.

In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus is recorded as saying, "love thy neighbor as thyself."  Have you ever noticed, or paid attention to the "as thyself" portion of that scripture?  The reason for this is that it's very hard to love anyone if we don't love ourselves.

Recently my husband has been obsessed with the fact that insomnia often takes me from my "beauty sleep" at night.  He keeps reminding me that my body needs 7-8 hours of sleep (even though it apparently doesn't think so).  But I know he's not doing this because of any outward appearances, he's doing this because he cares about me and wants me to be healthy.  If we love ourselves, we will do what we can to be as healthy as we can.

I heard a secret about fortune-telling once (now don't worry... I don't believe in fortune tellers)... the secret is, they look at the hands because if a person takes good care of their hands, they must "love themselves".  And this isn't talking about an unnatural love, it's just talking about, again, being healthy, feeling good, and looking your best.

Here are a few benefits of taking care of yourself:
1. You'll feel better physically and emotionally.
2. You'll be around to enjoy your husband and family longer.
3. You'll have more energy to be able to keep up with your family.
4. You'll be someone that others want to be around 

Now let me clarify that last one... I'm NOT saying that if you are sick or have a disability that people will not want to be around you.... No, I'm saying that if you are doing everything you can to take care of yourself, and be in the best health you can be, people will want to be around you.  After all, if you give up on yourself, others will too.

And, we should take care of our spiritual health and beauty as well.  As a child of the King, we represent Him wherever we go.  Are you representing your Father and yourself in a good light?

Are You Under the Umbrella?

The umbrella affect:  The Bible tells us that "the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church" - Ephesians 5:23.  

I've heard it described as an umbrella... The husband is the umbrella and the wife and children are underneath that umbrella.  So, it is the umbrella's job to protect.  It is his responsibility to lead his home spiritually and can you imagine the great responsibility this entails?  He will someday stand before God and give an account for, not only himself, but the direction of his family... just as a captain takes responsibility for the direction of his ship.

If, at this time, your husband is not taking this responsibility, of course, you don't want your children to suffer the consequences.  So, it then becomes your responsibility, as second in command, to hold the umbrella.  While taking on this tough roll, continue to pray that some day your husband's eyes and heart will be open to the joy he is missing.

And, when your husband's spirit comes to life and he realizes that he needs to be in charge of the spiritual upbringing and spiritual protection of his family, you need to hand over the reins and get back underneath his umbrella.  That may be a hard thing to do but, if you've been steering the ship for a while, he will still need your loving hand to guide him.  So, don't feel like you have been pushed aside, rather, with a sigh of relief, hand over that responsibility.

We see this type of guidance and trust... spiritual responsibility if you will, in Genesis 12.  In vs 13, Abraham and Sarah (actually Abram and Sarai in these early passages) are traveling to Egypt and Abraham tells Sarah, "tell them you are my sister".  So, basically, she has been told, by her husband, to lie to the Pharoah and princes of Egypt.  Sarah does as her husband has told her and God protects her because she has been obedient.  Now, I'm not, in any way, shape, or form, saying that we are not accountable for our own actions, but what Sarah did was to fall under the authority of her husband.  Or, in plain english, she was submissive to her husband.

If you haven't heard it from me before, I'll say it again... submission is NOT a bad word.  Submission is willfully giving in to the authority of another.  So, it doesn't say, in this passage from Genesis, what Sarah was thinking... she very well may have struggled with the fact that her husband was asking her to lie but she did what she was asked to do out of obedience or submission to her husband.  And, as I said, God protected her because of it.  

We need to have this same type of trust in our husband as the leader of our home.  It is our responsibility to allow him to lead by submitting to his authority and prayerfully following his lead.  Please don't miss that word, "prayerfully" because you, of course, don't want to take this to the extreme and think that you are untouchable because you are "just doing what you are told."... no, we are to have discernment and we are still asked to give advise, but the ultimate decisions should be left to our husbands.

Praise - it goes a long way

Praise is like salt:  Salt is a preservative, it adds flavor, assists in healing, and also helps in the leavening process while baking.  Praise is like salt for our relationships... both vertical (with our God) and horizontal (with other human beings).  

There is a song that I love that says, "Praise the Lord, He can work through those who praise Him.  Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise.  Praise the Lord!  For the chains that seem to bind you, serve only to remind you, that they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him."

This is so true.  Praising God preserves our soul and lifts our spirit.  Praising those around us lifts them up as well.  And, face it, when we feel good about ourselves, we treat everyone around us a little better and we have more reason to strive to do more praise worthy deeds.

There have been many conferences, sermons, and relationship advice books where I've heard or read that men need a little more praise for some reason.  It's like food for their ego.  And it's true, some times, when our husbands do everyday tasks, they still seem to want to hear that they did a good job.  So, don't forget about praise when it comes to your marriage... lift up the spirit of your husband by recognizing the extra things he's been doing around the house.  

Tell him how much you appreciate the things he does for you as well as the qualities God has gifted to him.  I challenge you to find at least one positive thing to praise him each day for the next week and see if it doesn't make for a better mood around the house as well as renew or change your attitude toward your husband.

When Upon Life's Billows You are Tempest Tossed

Dealing with bitterness:  Speaking of little eyes, one thing they can catch the easiest is bitterness.  I went to a women's conference once and all weekend the speaker had us carry a marble around.  At each main session we were to hold it up so she knew we still had it with us.  At the end of the weekend, she said that the marble represented whatever was in our life that was coming between us and God.  In my case, at the time, it was bitterness.  A bitterness so deep it was crushing my soul.  I had fallen into a deep depression and thought the only way out was to kill myself because I must be a horrible person.

Let me say right now, that thought is WRONG... it comes from Satan!  You are not a horrible person.  You are loved and very precious in the eyes of God.  He wants to give you joy and peace, you just need to let Him in.

So, back to the conference... the speaker said that we could continue to carry that marble... we could put it in our purse and forget about it but one day, our purse will tip over and that marble will come rolling out.  She said, "think about how you'll feel when you're at the store and that marble comes rolling out on the conveyer belt... right in front of the cashier and other bystanders.  Worse yet, think about how you would feel if that marble rolled out of your purse and your child picked it up."  

And it hit me... like a light going on in the darkest part of my heart... my kids can pick up my bitterness and become bitter themselves.  Did I want that?  Did I want to be the cause for my children becoming unloving individuals?  Little people who hated their father or carried grudges toward other people?  That was an emphatic NO! I gave that marble over to the Lord and I started praying every day (sometimes every minute) that God would root out the bitterness in my soul.

I' m so glad to say that the bitterness is gone. Sure, Satan tries to bring it back from time to time but remember... "Love does not keep account of wrong".  So, when those times come, I say, "get thee behind me Satan" and I pray for forgiveness for allowing that root of bitterness to sprout once again

Covenant Relationship

Marriage is a covenant:  When you got married, you vowed, before friends, loved ones, and God, that you would love and cherish this person until one of you should die.  And, no, you should not be praying for that someone to die... that's just wrong.  Take time to renew that commitment to yourself from time to time.  My husband and I took a "marriage covenant" class at one point in time and one of the things I remember from this Biblically based study is that your spouse is a gift from God.  

Think about it... how many lonely people are out there in the world?  God gave you this person to cherish... when you receive a precious gift from your children, do you tear it apart or throw it on the ground and trample it?  No, you cherish that gift... you display it for all to see.  Treat your husband the same way.  Think of the good qualities, those things that he does (or perhaps he used to do) that just make you smile and tell your friends aboout those things.  Shine a light on the beautiful aspects of your man and shove the not so lovely under the rug.

My joy comes from the Lord:  It is NOT my husband's responsibility to make me happy.  It is great when that happens but I shouldn't walk through life waiting for or expecting it to happen.  No, my joy... my peace... my overwhelming happiness comes from the Lord.  Keep your relationship with God foremost in your life.  

In the previously mentioned covenant marriage class, the other memorable thing that came out of it is the pyramid affect... the analogy of your marriage being a three sided pyramid.  Think of a pyramid... God is at the top and you and your spouse are at opposite anchor points.  The  closer each of you get to God, the closer you draw to each other.

Again, you can only do your part.  You can't force your husband to read his Bible or pray.  You can't even force him to go to church (ok, you may try but he's going to resent you and push away from God).  Lead by example... Keep your relationship with your God fresh... let the joy of the Lord shine through you and pray, pray, pray.  Only God can reach through to your husband and He may or may not choose to use you to do the reaching.  In fact, God will most likely use someone else.

I used to get frustrated because I could say something to my husband a thousand times but let one of his friends say the same thing and all of a sudden, it's the greatest idea or thought he's ever heard.  Don't get upset... just be thankful the thought made it through and move on.  

Don't neglect your time with God because you need that Word in your life every day.  Not only that, you may have little eyes watching you... they watch how you respond and they see how important your God is to you.  Make sure to involve those little ones... take them to church with you, take them to VBS, say bedtime prayers with them and read them Bible stories.  When you go on field trips, remind them that God made the beautiful sunset, the delicate butterfly, and the magestic elephant.  Be sure that they are being nurtured in God's love as well as your own.

Relationships take work.

Relationships take work: That being said, we need to go out of our way to demonstrate that love. After all, at one point you probably did have that gushy feeling and the emotional side can come again, if you let it... or, should I say, if you nurture it. Just like you've heard it said time and again, when it comes to witnessing, the other person's response is not your responsibility... this applies to your relationship as well...your only responsibility is to do your part.

So, be creative, think of what your man likes and do something to show him you care. If he likes baseball, maybe make time to go to a game... if you can't afford a professional one, maybe make a picnic lunch and go watch a game at the park on Saturday. Be sure to get a sitter if you have kids... time alone is vital to your relationship.

Keep yourself interesting to him by learning about things that he enjoys... as mentioned, if he likes baseball, read the sports page, learn about the players on the team he likes, learn the rules of the game. If he likes automobiles, learn about the different styles, makes and models.

Keep up on the local news. This is all very important... especially if you happen to be fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom, because your husband is out in the world every day. He is surrounded by interesting people and interesting conversation and what does he come home to?... talk about the busyness of the day and the dirty diapers? So, be sure that you know what is going on in the world around you and in his world so that you can have something to talk about when you are together.

As mentioned, time together is important... Make "date night" a priority. If you can't afford to go out, perhaps the kids can spend a night with friends. Or, perhaps you could trade nights with a friend. When the "kids" are old enough to be on their own, your "date" could be grocery shopping capped off with a soda at the local McDonald's. Whatever you do, be sure that it is the two of you and that your time together is a regularly scheduled event

Unconditional Love

True Love is Unconditional:   We are called to live like Christ... to be conformed to His image.  Would we feel loved if He loved us the way we love others?  In most cases, I dare say, probably not.  Paul's word for love is Agape which describes a love that is based on the deliberate choice of the one who loves rather than the worthiness of the one who is loved... Agape love is giving, selfless, long-suffering (patient), and expects nothing in return.

This is the kind of love we should have... not only for other Christians in the church or for our neighbors but for those closest to us... our spouse and children.

I've always loved the "love chapter".  In fact, I have it in a frame in my home nestled amongst pictures of my family but I am far from the image that is pictured in Paul's writing.  Let me explain it the way a dear friend explained it to me once:

Love suffers long and is kind... kind no matter what - you know what Jesus said, "love your enemies"... so, Agape love is for everyone and if your love is not returned, you keep loving anyway.

Love does not envy, parade itself, and is not puffed up... envy can also be described as "jealous".  If I truly love my neighbor, I wouldn't be jealous of the new baby that God has blessed her with when I've been praying for years or I wouldn't be jealous of the honor bestowed on a co-worker when I feel I've worked twice as hard.  No, true love means you're happy for the achievements of others and you don't take pride in your own.

Love does not behave rudely and does not seek its own... when we are out with our husband and friends, do we put him down?  Do we tease to the point of making him look bad in their eyes?  When we are having a conversation, do we listen to the other person's thoughts or are we too busy thinking of what we are going to say or interrupting them when they are talking?  In my mind, this would read, one who truly loves, listens and doesn't force their own opinions on others.  

This almost brings into play the word some women dispise... submission.  Did you know, that submission does not mean being a dormat?  It doesn't mean that you are a slave?  If you look up the word submission in the dictionary, it means that you willingly give in to the authority of another.  In other words, you share your ideas and opinions but you willingly choose to go with the other person's way of doing something.

Sorry for the side-step there... back to the Love Chapter...

Love is not provoked, thinks no evil... ok, this is the one that my friend truly explained differently than I had ever heard before.  When we approach a situation, we should be expecting the best rather than thinking the worst.  Even if a situation comes up that has always received a negative response in the past, we should approach it expecting a positive response I guess this falls in line of not keeping a record of wrong which is the way that it is worded in some translations.  Forget what happened 10 years ago, 5 months ago, 2 hours ago, or even a few minutes before and look forward to each moment with a fresh outlook expecting a positive response.  However, remember... long-suffering.  So, if that positive response doesn't come, how do we respond?... that's right, we pile on more love.

Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth... we don't find happiness in revenge, we don't lie but constantly seek the truth in every situation.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.  Do you see the word blindfold in any of those sentences?  No, we love doesn't mean we are naive or ignorant of what is going on around us, it says that we recognize the problems and failures but we don't lose faith in the possibilities of what people might become.  We don't give up.  God can change this person for the better just as He has changed us.  We accept the hardships and rejection, continuing to build up and encourage... always expecting the best from and for the other person.

Agape... are you showing it today?  Even if you don't feel it in return, it is our responsibility to show this kind of love to everyone, including our spouse.

Love is a Choice

Recently, I was asked to pray for a friend who was struggling with her marriage... So, I wanted to take this opportunity to document some of the things I've learned through my 33 1/2 years of marriage and my 44 years of walking with the Lord and seeking His guidance.

Before I begin, let me say, my husband and I are at a good place in our marriage.  My husband is my best friend, my strongest supporter, and my loudest cheerleader.  He pampers me, protects me, and takes care of me.  We share everything together and are enjoying our grandbabies and the other blessings God has bestowed.  He is a strong Christian and has been soaking up Bible teaching like a sponge.

The scripture passage we chose for our wedding, Eccl. 4:9-12, is still our inspiration.... 9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if [c]either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not [d]another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they [e]keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?12 And if [f]one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

God is the most important ingredient in any marriage.  So, as we walk through the following lessons together remember...pray, pray, pray.  And, when you pray, do so believing God has already answered your prayers.

I've decided to break these thoughts, lessons if you will, into bite size chunks and share them one at a time over the next few days.  Here is my first offering and my prayer is that God will help you through some of the lessons He has taught me.

Love is a choice:  As we grow from little girls, we are ingrained with romance.  We read fairy tales where the prince comes in and saves the day and they live "... happily ever after".  But here's the reality... love is not an emotion.  Yes, there is some form of "puppy love" where your heart flutters and you feel all warm inside but at the end of the day, love is a choice.

There may come times in your relationship where you have to wake up every morning and say, "I am choosing to love this person today".  There may even come times when you pray, "God help me to love this person today - Give me your eyes and let me see this person the way you see him."

Hedge of Protection

Who needed an alarm clock this morning? With the winds roaring and the hail pounding, I lay in bed clinging to my husband and praying for a wall of protection around our home. We just saw on the news, last night and the day before, the destruction that hit Branson, MO, when a tornado struck in the night... duplexes that looked like a pile of kindling and a whole shopping strip leveled to the ground.

After the winds subsided, the roof was covered with hail the size of golf balls.

At times like these, God's might is so real and we realize how very small we are in all of this... imagine, our universe is so vast, but God is SO big that He holds our universe in the palm of His hand! And to think that we have the nerve to even ask God for anything. But, is it really "nerve" or is it the trust of a child?

One time, when travelling to Nebraska with one of our little grandchildren in tow, we were hit with a sudden down pour... right in the middle of the thunderstorm she screamed, "make it stop!" That's what I wanted to do this morning... I wanted to scream, "Make it stop!" Just think, God can do just that... the wind and waves obey His every command. He is always in control.

Yes, God is BIG.... He's beyond big and I am but a grain of sand when you look at humanity from that perspective but He still loves me enough to listen to my tiny voice. God is good. Thank you, Lord, for your hedge of protection in the storm.

Because God cares about us, we can leave our cares with Him.

A few weeks ago, our youngest daughter gave birth to our 8th precious grand baby, our 3rd grandson. With God's hand pouring out blessings so quickly upon our family (3 new ones celebrating their first Valentine's Day this year), it's sometimes overwhelming but this kind of overwhelming love I can handle anytime.

However, I know there are sad times as well... for instance when, with each new momentous occasion we stop to think of how much my father-in-law would have enjoyed seeing this day and how much he has missed since his passing. Or the fact that my mother, while still living, will not fully realize who these babies are or even who their parents are and how they are related as she spends her days with Alzheimer's.

But we are reminded, when sorrows do come, to count our blessings for Great IS His faithfulness to those who love Him. As the song says, "...strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Blessings all mine, with TEN THOUSAND beside." So I will continue to lift my eyes toward heaven and say, "Thank you, Father, for pouring out your love and blessings in our lives."

Psalm 69:30 "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving."