My Rock

My rock of a husband brought me a rock today. It made me love him even more.

See the big flat gold-speckled rock in the back...it's mine!

Joe was on a job today helping a farming neighbor pull out some stumps, clean up some rocks and install some drainage tile. He was holding the 3 smaller rocks above in his hands and noticed that he had a small, medium and large one and it reminded him of his little blessings at home. He decided his children would love to get a special rock that their daddy found for them during the day. He pocketed them and decided he should find mama a special rock too. He didn't want to leave me out.

The next rock he picked up...the gold-speckled one. 

He was showing the kids the special rock he found just for mama and said..."See, how it looks like gold, I thought it was perfect for mom because she is as precious as gold."

MELT MY HEART!

I am so blessed to have this man!

Thoughts on Marriage

The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes. ~Amy Grant

You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.

~Sam Keen

Love is not something you feel. It's something you do. ~David Wilkerson

Do you view God's Word as a command or a suggestion? ~Perry Noble

 Am I living in sin with no desire to get out of it? You may make a mistake in your checkbook, but an affair is no mistake. ~Perry Noble

So, I compose blog posts in my head all the time.....while I weed the garden, while I mow the lawn, while I wash the dishes, while I change diapers, etc, etc.

And most of the time they never make it to the screen. I've been running this one over and over in my head for about a month and I think it is time to get it written out now. It has changed quite a bit since it was first forming. I have let go of the anger and tongue lashing that this started out as and now I hope it has hope and encouragement for myself and for other marriages.

I think about and pray about my own marriage often, but also spend quite a bit of time praying for other people's marriages as well. More so when I've heard of someone struggling, having difficulties, talking about divorce and the likes.

The reason for marriage on my mind lately.....someone very close to me and my family has decided to divorce his wife. Besides the fact that I love this couple deeply, it always saddens me to hear of the end of a marriage. We are still praying here for a complete restoration of this marriage. I see God working in the situation and am praying that the couple can see it too. There are some court filing technicalities that are holding up the actual granting of the divorce, so there is still time to redeem this marriage.

I could not imagine ever being in a position where I would want to end my marriage. Part of it is that I went into marriage with a clear understanding that it would be hard and it would be work and that it is near impossible to pull off with out Christ as the center of your home. I also took my vows before not only Joe, but before God very seriously.

Marriage was intended to be a sacred union between husband and wife!

I would not be a good wife or a mother if I did not humble myself everyday, did not ask for forgiveness often and did not turn to God for guidance and strength. Don't get me wrong, I fail often but I never have thoughts of throwing in the towel. I would not want to go through this life alone. I would not want to raise my children only half the time. I would not want to take my children away from their father. Our marriage isn't perfect.....impossible with sinners involved.....but we both work at it and put 100% into it.

Here are a few verses on marriage.....

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Hebrews 13:4

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.  Ephesians 5:22-33

Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9:9

But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

Ruth 1:16-17

My lover is mine and I am his...

 Song of Solomon 2:16

There has been a lot of great marriage thoughts out in the blog world lately..... Surprise, surprise but I included some Ann Voskamp stuff.

5 Ways To Make Marriage Last - Ann Voskamp

           *Marriage is a long maturing

           *The worst always comes before the better

           *Begin a conversation well if you want to end a conversation well

The Making of a Marriage Bed - Ann Voskamp

           *Famililiarity breeds boredom only to the blind and the real see-ers know the worth of vows worn polish smooth with all the days.

            *Isn't it this alone, the one skin that halloows and sets marriage apart sacred? This intimacy that alive makes this the only of its kind in all our wanderings.

            *Control and false propriety can struggle love right stiff.

People need to be reminded that, together with prayer and the sacraments, a main key to success in conjugal love (the love that binds together two persons with defects) is learning to forgive and asking for forgiveness. Each time husband and wife acknowledge their defects to each other, they become more human and therefore more loveable.

~Covenanted Happiness~ (Thanks Jenny)

Perry Noble - NewSpring Church

             *Maintaining a great marriage and raising godly children takes work…LOTS of hard work…but the Scriptures are SO clear as to how we are supposed to do this. I’m so glad God didn’t leave it to me to figure it all out!

             *Most people don’t actually have marriage problems…they have JESUS problems!!! We can’t truly have a Christ – centered marriage until we are completely submitted to Him!

             *Foundations for the Family sermon

Please pray for suffering marriages and for restoration. God can do anything!

God bless!

Proverbs 31

Yesterday's reading included the second half of Proverbs.....one of my favorite books of the Bible. After my Lent post I've been thinking a lot about my attitude, being a godly wife and mother and just how I am going to make this change stick.

Then this morning I open my Bible and find wonderful nuggets of wisdom in Proverbs and it was such an encouragement to read.....just shows that God is in-tune and involved in our lives.....we just need to be willing to pay attention, listen and act.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with Proverbs 31 and what I thought it meant to be a Proverbs 31 wife. In the past, I've read with great aspirations and longings to make grand changes and have always felt - how could I possibly measure up?

But yesterday was different. I read it and felt encouraged and affirmed that I was already doing a lot of things right. I had a realization that it doesn't have to be the big things. All the seemingly small things we do each day as homemakers and home-managers are what makes us Proverbs 31 women. How cool is that!

Proverbs 31:10-31

(10) A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

(11) Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

Joe compliments me often on how helpful I am to him, both in our home and for our business. I strive to always be reliable to him and that he can count on me for daily support.

(12) She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

I have not always been focused on helping him. I do get wrapped up in my stuff and kids stuff, but today I am making a conscience action to be an intentional wife and to always be a source of goodness for my man.

(13) She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

This actually made me laugh because I add flax seed to everything in our home.

(14) She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

I do the shopping and day to day management of my home.

(15) She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.

I truely believe that one of my strengths in our family unit is that I do the day to day stuff and rarely complain about them...the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, bill paying and such. This frees Joe from having to worry about one more thing.

(16) She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

(17) She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

(18) She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

(19) In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

(20) She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

(21) When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

(22) She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

(23) Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

I never speak poorly of my husband to other people. I am his partner and want to build him up. I do respect him as a man, as a husband, as an employer and as a father and I would like to think others respect him as well.

(24) She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.

(25) She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

(26) She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

I fail at this probably daily, but with God's grace I will continue to faithfully hold my tongue when need be and continue to teach my children daily.

(27) She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Up until recently, I would say this was untrue. I have not always been a good steward of my time. I have made a new commitment to be intentional with the time God has given me and use it effectively and efficiently.

(28) Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

(29) Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.

(30) Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

(31) Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. 

Do you have a thought on Proverbs 31? Do you have a favorite Proverb? I love that I can open my Bible everyday and learn something new or have a verse speak to me in a new way. I love that a verse that may convict me one day is just the encouragement that I need the next. Praise the Lord and His Word.

God bless!