One of the things that God has taught me in the past is that I need to be intentional about how I think about my husband. If I am constantly thinking about his faults and the parts about him that annoy or upset me, then I am shooting both of us in the foot. It’s highly important to intentionally focus on what I am thankful for in him, the little things that he does for me, and the parts of our marriage that I enjoy.
I have been wrestling with my thought life in my marriage lately. It’s been hard not to take special note of the things that he isn’t doing right rather than the things that he is doing right. I battled with this for about a month before I decided that either there was a real issue that needed to be dealt with between us, or I needed some help.
God works in such wondrous ways. I brought up the main issue that had been bothering me with my husband. We talked about it a bit, but weren’t really sure what to do about it, so we brought it before our Biblical Counselor. I am so thankful for our biblical counselor. He was able to identify the heart issues in each of us, to give us some good advice, and to show us how to work on it for the future.
Since that meeting, I have barely struggled with focusing on the bad parts of our marriage at all. I love it when God reaches down and uses someone else to gently bring my perspective around. I am so thankful for that Grace and mercy.
It is good to pray and to battle against my sin with the Lord, but I think I waited too long before seeking His help in a different form. I need to be more cognizant of when I need to ask for help from my comrades-in-arms. I’ve never been very good at it, but by God’s grace, I am improving. My brothers and sisters in Christ are amidst the battle with me and my husband, and we are here to help each other in the battle.
Are you struggling with something right now? Is it time to ask a comrade-in-arms?
I will never get tired of singing as life continues. That resonance in my throat and chest just feels right. I love listening to singing, trying to determine how someone else manipulated their voice to get the sound they want, harmonizing with others through singing, and I love being able to lift it to the Lord as an offering and bring Him glory. I don’t think that there’s anything that I don’t love about singing.
I thank the Lord for singing, for the fulfillment that it gives me, but also for the encouragement that it can be for others. It can brighten a person’s day, or help keep it from going sour. It can bring a person’s perspective around as you sing or listen to the words. It can help people exercise as they keep with the beat. I think God uses singing in just about any situation.
I thank the Lord for this gift, and I pray that I never lose the perspective that my voice is one of His tools.
When encircled by my husband’s arms, I am so thankful for God’s gift to me of my husband. His embrace induces a feeling of comfort, love, and safety for this moment while I’m held, that can’t seem to be duplicated any other way. I don’t really want him to let go, because each moment becomes this moment, during which I’m soaking up his embrace and basking in the feelings. God’s love seems so real - perhaps most real - in that moment.
God shows His love for me through His gifts, and my husband is not among the least, but among the very best of His gifts. A husband ranks just under God’s salvation, mercy, Grace, Hope, and Love, and is even a conduit of those, except for salvation (that’s a bit of a one-time deal that only Jesus could carry out).
When I’m struggling, I’ll sometimes ask my husband to hold me. It’s a physical reminder that can help calm roiling feelings and remind me of the perspective that I ought to have:
God is in control... for our good and His glory... and He is all-powerful to accomplish His will. Nothing can happen without His permission, and He will lead me through whatever trials He allows into my life. I cannot escape...
His goodness
His love
His discipline
His mercy
His hope
...I cannot escape Him. And why would I want to in this moment of love? Each moment, God is holding me just like my husband’s embrace.
We enjoyed a fabulous dinner and evening with another couple who are good friends of ours. The food was delicious, the fellowship fantastic, and we even went out for a walk upon which our son enjoyed playing with their kids at a neighborhood playground. It is so good to be able to spend time with another family - especially when there’s good food involved!
Setting aside a night for dinner with friends is one of the best ways that we’ve been able to find to participate in another family’s fellowship. So many other events just seem to create more obstacles, but dinner is a great way to relax - whether you’re baking or eating. God has truly blessed us in the fellowship that He has granted us, and I am so thankful for dinner with friends.
I am thankful that God gave us hearing. Music is the first reason that comes to mind - with its harmony, lyric, and flow - but it certainly isn’t the last. The sound of my son’s belly laugh when my husband plays with him; the little snorts and growls my dog used to make as she talked to us; my husband’s voice on the phone; the doorbell when we’ve been excitedly waiting for a friend’s visit. These are all reasons that I am thankful for hearing.
Of course, there are noises that are not so nice, as well - especially when we humans are in the midst of expressing our sin to one another. “The tongue is a fire...” as the Bible says in James 3:6a. Yet I am glad that God is with us in every step of life - through mountain highs and valley sorrows. Through it all, He helps us to become more like His Son each day. I am thankful that hearing is one of the tools that He uses.
I am so privileged to be a member of our Church. The people are so real, caring, and God-seeking that He simply flows through them. Each time I join the people at a gathering for some sort of church function, I come away encouraged and blessed. I may tend to administrative needs, but the people of the church tend me and my family.
The people tend my son in childcare and in helping entertain him as I chase him around the grounds. They tend my husband and me with encouragement in Christ and sound teaching. They tend our family with their fellowship with us, and they even thank my husband and I for the work that we do.
I am thankful that church gatherings provide another “excuse” for our church family to be together. God blesses us through them (both the people and the gathering) every time.
I find that when God tells me things during the week, by the time I go to write about them, I’ve lost what it was He said. Has God ever told you something that you forgot? I’d check your pulse if you haven’t. He has a lot to say sometimes.
I really need to put a pen in my nightstand so that I can start using the journal that’s next to my bed for notes. The truth is, the information wouldn’t only be useful to blog about later; I could really stand to remember some of the things that He’s revealed to me. The more I think about them, the more likely I am to remember them - especially during the time(s) to which they apply (if that time isn’t ever-present). So I’ve determined to be more intentional about writing down what God shares with me.
In fact, I think I’ll keep a journal in my backpack, too, for quick reference during the day. If you don’t already do this sort of thing, I would greatly encourage you to join me. I’m already excited about what God will do through it. May He bless us as we seek Him.
