GPS to a Joyful Marriage

It amazes me that we, as human beings, communicate as well as we do.   There are numerous factors involved when speaking to another person. We have to coordinate our thoughts with our words to relay the message we want to share.  We don't always find the exact words that communicate our meaning.  Our emotions, our circumstances, and even our physical health will have a great impact on that message.   We may not be thinking clearly and choose the wrong words.   We may be angry or in pain and not give enough thought to what we say. We also have to look at the state of the person receiving the message.   Are they tired, emotional or distracted?   They may hear the words we speak to them in a very different manner in which we intended.   That’s how arguments usually begin – with miscommunication from one party in either sending or receiving. For me, there have been many times where I’m forced to respond without the time to carefully plan in my head the message I desire t

The relationships between men and women never cease to amaze me.   Most couples interact in the same ways.   We all deal with similar issues.   The degree of problems the issues cause, though, may vary depending on what we learned from our own families. My husband and I spent the past weekend in Miami with our son and daughter-in-law.   Rick and I were in the back of the car and my son was driving.   He and his wife had a conversation about how to get where we were going that Rick and I have had hundreds of times.   I almost giggled out loud.   I’m still compelled to tell Rick how to drive even after 30 years of marriage. Rick often has commented, jokingly, “Honey, I don’t know how I ever survive driving in the car, alone, without you here to guide me.” My response has always been, “I pray for you when I’m not in the car with you.” I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it is well worth repeating.   I think the devil has destroyed many marriages by having couples b

In my previous post, I mentioned Paul’s request in chapter 6 of Ephesians for prayer that he would declare the gospel fearlessly.  Paul talks numerous times in his letters about the words we speak.  He believes so highly in the power of the tongue that he asks for prayer that he would use the right words.  There’s an idea we all should practice -  prayer for the right words. In Ephesians 4:29, Paul tells us “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” In our society, we are clearly taught to speak whatever comes to our minds, regardless of how it might affect another person.  We usually don’t think about how the other person might receive our words, as long as we feel better for releasing our thoughts.  Especially when it comes to our spouses and our family, the people we supposedly love the most.  Paul tells us to only speak what will help bui

The apostle Paul is my favorite character in the Bible (next to Jesus, of course.)  He endured hardships that we could never imagine facing. “He faced rejection from some of his closest friends and, even worse, by many of the churches in Asia. (2 Timothy 1:15).  He had been severely beaten several times (2 Corinthians 11:24, 25).  He had been shipwrecked three times (2 Corinthians 11:25).  He had lived through perils in the city, in the wilderness, and at sea.  He had been in peril of robbers, of heathens, and of false brethren and had endured periods of hunger, thirst, and sleeplessness (2 Corinthians 11:26, 27).”   From Sparkling Gems – by Rick Renner Through all this adversity he kept his amazing faith.  In 2 Corinthians 4:17 he wrote, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” He calls what he experienced “light and momentary troubles”?  Through all my trials and tribulations I have never even come cl