A Praying Wife

Wow, don't you just love when God hits you between the eyes and says "Daughter, seriously?" This morning he did that. Yep, I was reading The Love Dare and at the end of the chapter they used a verse that I repeated to myself for years. "Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you shall find, Knock and the door will be open to you." I used that verse for prayers for a long time. Then I stopped. I don't know why, it wasn't some great event that made me stop, I just stopped. And this morning God said, "Daughter, seriously get back on your knees and pray." So that's what I'm doing. Praying for my heart, my husbands heart and the growth of our hearts together.

I know most of you think this book is for marriages that are in "trouble" but my theory is I never want my marriage to be in that state. I want to go on madly loving my husband for the rest of my days and I believe this is preventive medicine for us. I don't read everyday but most days it takes about 5 minutes to set my heart straight and get it focused on God and my husband. I love that. So this morning I pray, asking God, seeking God and watching the doors open for us as a couple.

You know what to pray for your husband better than anyone else, besides your husband. Ask God, it is truly remarkable what He can do with a question or request.

Much love and Merry Christmas!

Love Cherishes

Today's Dare is to cherish the one you love. When things get a little tough, how do you cherish the one you love. This was a great devotional to read upon returning from Thanksgiving. However, for some reason instead of thinking about how thankful I am for the blessings from God, I thought about all the selfish things in my mind. It was a trying Thanksgiving and I kept blaming all my feelings on other people but in reality it was my not cherishing the relationships around me that made me angry. I needed to cherish the family surrounding me and the joys that will be involved in living life. I need to cherish my husband more, in that when he asks something of me I do it graciously and lovingly instead of with a heart that is full of malice. Today I'm thinking about ways to cherish loved ones. To understand that sometimes everyone needs a pick me up and that in doing so I support their lifestyles whether they are the same as mine or not.

For my husband, I will love and cherish him the rest of my life. He is the best thing that has happened to me and I'm so very grateful for his love, patience and understanding everyday. Especially when I'm a little nutso...So today treat your husband like your most prized item, shower him with love, show him in little ways how wonderful life is together for in this is the prize of a lifetime!

Love makes good impressions

Let's play a little game....when you haven't seen your mom for a few weeks, how do you greet her? When you haven't seen a friend for a while, what is your initial greeting for them? Do you remember your smile? The hug? The excitement and laughter? How about your children? Do you remember how your children/nieces/nephews ran up to you when they haven't seen you to greet you? Do you remember how they would continue to do that over and over even after a minute? Do you remember how when you came home from a bad day at the office, they ran and hugged you fiercely because they missed you?

Now let's think about how we greet our spouse. The person we are spending eternity with, are you as exuberant with your greeting? Does a smile the size of your face occur when you see them? Do you think they can hear your excitement over the phone just in seeing their number pop up?

Think about how you start your day with your spouse. Is it a to do list or is it laughter? Do you serve them or are you a grump? Have you put aside your own needs to ensure their day will run smoothly? Can you imagine how much better life would be if you started everyday with a smile, a giggle and a hug?

Try it today, hug your spouse in the morning, smile when they call and greet them exuberantly when you arrive home today!

Love is not Irritable - Day 6, times 2

Love isn't prideful, lustful, irritable. Love doesn't get angry for anger is selfish. Love doesn't focus on possession or greed, lust for another's objects or person. Love encourages, forgives, appreciates and is slow to anger. We have learned that anger can come from many avenues, tiredness, selfishness, worry, guilt. We have also learned that all of these can be alleviated through prayer. Venting vertically we call it. When you do something wrong, tell God, let the guilt and worry about it roll off your shoulders so God can catch it and make it better. Build each other up, whether friends, coworkers or spouses. Take the moments to say what has been so for you and build each other up to create loving relationships.

Love does for others not because they get something. Love just does things to create a life for others that is increasing good. Love wants the best for those around them and will help others achieve their best. Love takes the talents God has given them and uses them to benefit others. Love tells others what is good and righteous about them, what they grow from learning from others. Love is what makes this world go around.

Love isn't irritable, take a moment and create some margin in your life. Spend a Day Alone With God and get right. Then share this love with others and enjoy the joy that surrounds you.

Love is Thoughtful - Day 4 2nd time around

Thoughts - they manipulate the mind, they turn us for or against something, we become our thoughts. Remember when you and your spouse first met, you didn't know much but there was a mutual attraction for each other. You thought about him/her all the time. Your thoughts overtook every part of your life. They were on your mind always and then you got married or serious and you saw parts of them that irritated or annoyed you. I bet they saw the same in you too. This is the destructive part of the relationship, if you allow your thoughts to focus on the annoying stuff, you will become negative towards your relationship. Now if you think about your meeting, you will remember and think positive about your relationship.

Do you remember the first time you laid eyes on your spouse? I do, I was crazy and flew to Vegas to meet him. I had friends come with me but I flew here and came to his house. (which I had given the address to many people, just in case he was a crazy man) I remember seeing his eyes the first time and my heart fluttering. I remember his smile as he leaned on the wall at the doorway into the kitchen. I remember that first kiss and the first I love you. I remember the laughter we shared. These are the thoughts I like to fill my mind with, not the things he didn't do or didn't do correctly (according to me).

Take a moment and remember your first month of dating, and how you felt. Remember that you would do anything for that man/woman of yours. You would call in the middle of the day just to see what they were doing and if you could help them out. Well, today is the day to start that again. Contact your spouse and let them know you are thinking about them and wondering how their day is going. Ask if there is something you can do for them to make their day better. Let them know they are in your thoughts and prayers as they go through life. This is so very important to our spouses and for you too. Let me know how it goes!

Kindness - Day 2 ~ Selfishness - Day 3

Day 2 was about doing a kind gesture for your spouse. Not for the sake of saying See I did this for you, but for the sake of showing them kindness and compassion. We live in a world where we are told, don't do that for your spouse, they will take advantage of you. I say are you kidding. I want my husband to know that I love him. I want my husband to know that I intend to be kind to him always. Why wouldn't I cook for him, clean for him, do laundry for him, iron for him, etc...you get my drift. What makes it so hard for people to understand that my doing things for my husband isn't degrading or demoralizing, it's blessing him which blesses me when I see a smile on his face and joy in his walk.

With over 50% of American couples getting divorced, I'm thinking something has to change. Tell me what have you done today to demonstrate kindness and selflessness to your spouse. What have you done today to enjoy the life God has given you by giving to another? Today I ironed. It was the one thing I could do for my spouse alone. Only he will wear the shirt I ironed. Only he will benefit from my gesture. No one else will get the joy of putting on a clean, ironed shirt and feel my love. That is what I did today as my gesture of kindness. It doesn't have to be grandeous, it doesn't have to be out of the ordinary, it just has to have you thinking about them in the process of doing it.

Be Kind and Selfless Today!

Love Dare Day 1 - second time around

So this morning I awoke and started my daily plan. In my morning daze, I grabbed the laundry basket and headed downstairs to do my morning routine. This morning though I got to the washer and it was still full from yesterday. When I opened the dryer to switch the laundry over it was still full from two days ago. My anger started to bubble up to the top. I thought really, I work all day and am trying to maintain a household, keeping up with the laundry and all I ask my husband to do is to pull it out and put it on the bed. Can I not get any help with keeping this household up?

Then today's message - PATIENCE. Love is patient is the title. Ephesians's 4:2 ~ Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Wow, God was working today. There was a line that just struck my heart. Anger is often an emotional reaction that flows out of our own selfishness, foolishness or evil motives. Did you feel it hit me? It felt like an earthquake, after my thoughts above. Now I'm thinking, really Karen, is this important. Are you truly going to get mad at your husband over your inane desire to keep everything super clean and super organized? This seems like a you thing not a we thing and at the end of the day what really matters. So by keeping silent, keeping an open heart and being gently reminded by our Lord, I'm able to put this aside and move on with my day.

Love is patient!!! Strive to be patient today in every relationship because at the end of the day that's what God does for us. He is patient with our faults, sins and disrespect and He Love Us!