GPS to a Joyful Marriage

Since this is the week of the year that we focus on being thankful, I want to share with you my thoughts on just that. I’d heard it said numerous times, through the years, that we should thank God especially when times are tough.  Feeling down and stressed and upset is not usually a time we choose to praise God.  At times when I felt distressed in the past, I would try to be thankful but always came up with a thought to counteract my gratefulness. I might thank God for my wonderful house and then immediately think “Although this isn’t exactly where I want to live.”  Or, I might give praise for my amazing husband just to remind myself how angry I felt with him the night before. Why did I struggle to find something to be sincerely thankful about at times when life would get the best of me? (I guess I’m gonna have to blame this on sugar – the usual culprit for my self-pity times.)  Trying to give thanks during the storms seemed superficial to me – but I kept ...

Needs and Communication I'm a little late posting this as Rick and I have just returned from a wonderful weekend cruise that left out of Miami.  We went with our daughter and her husband to celebrate his birthday.  What fun!   On to this weeks blog: When we learn to put our spouse’s needs ahead of our own, we will discover the beginnings of healthy communication in a marriage. You may wonder what putting your spouse’s needs ahead of your own has to do with healthy communication.  Believe it or not, a lot. Think back to the last argument you had with your spouse.  What did you disagree about?  Why did you disagree?  Usually, arguments and fights occur because two people have two very different ideas.  They both “stick to their guns” and don’t want to change their opinion and resist compromise. Refusing to cooperate and negotiate is nothing more than hanging on to your selfish desires. James 4:2 tells us,  “What caus...

When I first turned my life over to God, one of my favorite praise songs I learned was “I Cast All My Cares.” “I cast all my cares upon You.  I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet.  And anytime I don’t know what to do, I will cast all my cares upon You.” Such a simple song with a powerful message.  To this day I still sing that song to myself when I don’t know what to do.  It soothes my soul.  You might walk by a window to my house at one of those moments and see the tears rolling down my face as I’m singing out to God with my arms outstretched wide.  The problems may not be solved or dissolved, but God gives me peace that surpasses all understanding.  I can then move on and not feel so crippled by fear or pain. If you struggle with turning things over to God, maybe you should find a song or a Bible verse that soothes your soul - something that reminds you of God’s amazing grace and mercy.  You might say, “Oh but you don’t know...

I may have mentioned before that I’ve been reading the devotional, “ Jesus Calling” .  It is an exceptional book, and I highly recommend it.  The daily devotionals are short but very powerful.  Here is some of what I read over the weekend. November 1 “Do not be discouraged by the difficulty of keeping your focus on Me.  I know that your heart’s desire is to be aware of My Presence continually.  This is a lofty goal; you aim toward it but never fully achieve it in this life.  Don’t let feelings of failure weigh you down.  Instead, try to see yourself as I see you.  First of all, I am delighted by your deep desire to walk closely with Me through your life.  I am pleased each time you initiate communication with Me.  In addition, I notice the progress you have made since you first resolved to live in My Presence.”  Sarah Young I believe the biggest factor that keeps us from a life following God’s plan is that we don’t feel...