I will LIVE....

.....by making the most of my time.

Have you ever thought about how much time you waste? Or maybe you aren't really wasting it, but what you are spending your time doing doesn't amount to anything?  I have considered that often, but yesteday, I got slapped in the face with it (not literally). 

Our Sunday School lesson talked about things that influence us, making wordly (or even highly unbiblical) things seem, well, not so bad.  When we spend our time watching programs or reading books that almost glorify an ungodly way of life, we almost become immune or numb to the fact that it is wrong.  Then last night, as I read my devotional, there it was again....

Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us "Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time."

If we spent less time being consumed by worldy affairs and spent more time in the Word, imagine what a difference that would make in our lives.  Knowing God's Word and His expectations of us would guide us to make better decisions.  The use of our time would be spent more in prayer and worship with Him. We would be consumed by HIM! 

As I taught this lesson yesterday morning, I (hopefully) let my class know that this is an area that I need growth in.  I love my iPad.  It is so easy to check the whether and email by cell phone. And sorry to say that sometimes after several nights of little sleep, vegging out in front of a TV is all I want to do.  But I can't live my life by that.

In order to become the person God has intended for me to be, I MUST spend time with Him through prayer and Bible study. I MUST listen to Him.  My guidance MUST come from Him and Him alone, not these talk shows on TV. 

We all gripe and complain that there just isn't enought time.  As a mom of three, I am right up there in front of the line yelling that some days.  But honestly, there is.  We just have to step back and look to see how we are spending our time. Then we need to make adjustments to put our priorities in line.

So, to LIVE the life God has laid out for me, I will make the most of my time, putting my focus on Him and His will for my life.

Husband Bashing

I got my daily email yesterday from iMom and the topic was "Husband Bashing." Here is what the email said:
"Often, when a group of women get together, somebody will share a personal concern or frustration related to her marriage. When this happens, do you offer encouragement to strengthen your friend's marriage, or do you join right in the husband-bashing round table?
One of our husband's most basic needs is having our respect. Being openly critical of your guy in front of others (including your children) doesn't just reveal his shortcomings - it reveals your lack of respect for him. If you just need to vent, share with one trusted friend and seek advice or encouragement. Airing out your marital woes for the masses rarely yields good outcomes, and may just feed the fire of discontent."

This email really struck a chord with me. No, I didn't feel ashamed or angry or guilty, but I felt relieved to have my feelings on this topic confirmed.

I am by far NOT the perfect wife, and my husband is not the perfect husband, but we are perfect for each other. We met in our teens and dated throughout high school and college. We dated for 7 years and engaged for over 1 year before we got married. Needless to say, we both new what we were getting into when we got married. We were aware of the others imperfections and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together anyway.

So, how do I handle my frustrations with my husband? Well, husband bashing is not it. Mostly, I pray about it. I've got to decide if the imperfection is worth fighting over. Usually it isn't. If my feelings are hurt, I let my husband know. I have to say that whatever disagreements we have usually resolve themselves. We've learned how to let things go and laugh about our quirks and imperfections.


Sure it is good to have another woman that you can go to about some things, but it probably wouldn't be a good habit to get into, going to her every time you were annoyed or hurt. After all, she can't fix it. Only you, your husband, and God can.

The one thing that strikes me the most about that email is this: One of our husband's most basic needs is having our respect. Being openly critical of your guy in front of others (including your children) doesn't just reveal his shortcomings - it reveals your lack of respect for him.

In Ephesians 5:33, God has given us orders: "Let the wife see that she respects her husband."

Can't really get any clearer than that.

I know some women who constantly bad mouth their husbands. They really don't have any boundaries and don't care who can hear. Not only does it show a lack of respect for their husbands, but it shows their true character as well.

As for our children, I would never degrade their daddy in front of them. I'd like to think we've never even had an argument in front of them. I don't recall any. I want my boys to know that I love and respect their daddy, that he is a wonderful man and my heart belongs to him.

God has given both the husband and wife instructions, wives are to respect their husbands and husbands are to love their wives. If God tells us we have to do that, it means that it is something that we will have some struggles with. Whatever those struggles entail, we are to take them to Our Father in prayer and submission. It takes 3 to make a marriage work: the husband, the wife, and God.

A while back, my husband bought me the Love Dare movie and book. I absolutely love them, but I'll admit, I haven't finished my own Love Dare journey. As a wife who wants a strong, healthy marriage, I was eager to get started. I was glad to see there were somethings I was doing right already and some things I needed to work on. I do encourage you to try it if you want to strengthen your marriage. It is totally not one sided as some may think.

Lord, I thank you for my husband, for his faithfulness to this family and to you. I pray God that I will always show him respect in private, in front of my friends, and in front of our children. Lord, I pray that you would bless my husband and I thank you for blessing me by allowing me to be his wife. Amen.