Intricacies of Life

 

Walking through a "year round" Christmas store, I couldn't help but notice all the varieties of Christmas villages on display. From afar, they looked nice;  caught my eye, but when I really got up close and saw all of the intricacies of each individual piece, it made the display that much more beautiful and appreciated.

I began to think about our lives and how all too often we look at the BIG picture and miss the "little" things. Years pass us by and all we can account for is eating, sleeping, and paying the bills  - a life of what appears mundane when you look through it with surface vision. 

Day after day we acknowledge the  existence of people, places, and things, but fail to notice their beauty. We grow weary concentrating on what we don't have and miss out on the enjoyment of what is right at our fingertips.  We get so stuck in our routines that we sacrifice relationships both in our homes and beyond the four walls.

Looking at the villages, I was also reminded of a couple verses in Psalm 139. "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it."

When an artist puts detail into his creation: a painting, a sculpture, a writing,  it is placed there for a purpose... for the observer to take notice;  to find enjoyment in the beauty and uniqueness of it.

God is the Master Creator, the Master Artist, and He is into detail.  Everything He has ever created is an authentic masterpiece made for not only His pleasure but for ours! Our job is to slow down to find the joy in the NOW.

Let’s stop merely glancing over the big picture of life. Hit the “zoom” button and you’ll discover what a fleeting look will never see.

Begin studying the individuality of your children. Love them BIG right now in both their cuteness and what you may see as annoyances and quirks. Begin noticing the deeper things deposited within your spouse, your family, and your friends rather than year after year maintaining “how's it going?” shallow  relationships where you have no real desire to listen or share in either their joys or their troubles.   Quit being satisfied with the pet answer of, "It's going good," and begin to really care about people.   Care about them deeply.  Set aside your selfish, patterned day and allow for interruptions.  In time, it just may dawn on you that they were not interruptions at all.  These were the moments of true living like God intended. 

Seize opportunities to share life together and be an encouragement to one another.  Quit waiting for an "easier" or “more convenient” stage of life to live in the now. Before you know it, the chance you had is over and everything gets pushed off for a future that never comes.

“Slow down and smell the beauty in life.” e

Fulfilling Your Spouse

 

We all have our ideals of what we want to GET out of our marriages, but what are we willing to GIVE?  Laying aside our desires for just a moment, let’s think about our spouses. What could we do to assure them they are loved? What would make them feel safe, secure, and truly cared about?  We all have an innate need for these things. What are we doing to daily fulfill it for our partner? 

 

Some of us the yearning and need is even greater because of things we have gone through in life; possibly rejection and abandonment wounds that yes, only the love of the Father can heal, but what if we could play a part in binding up those wounds in our mate as the Father lavishes His love upon them through us?  What if? 

Our relationship with our spouse is to be the most intimate of all relationships we have.  We are neglecting the responsibility given to us when we fail to invest in learning how and applying a level of love to our spouse that is to trump all other earthly relationships they have.  Easier said than done?  Yes.  A lot of denying our own selfish desires and attitudes for the sake of them?  Yes.  Choosing to love them in word and action even when we feel justified in not doing so?  Yes.  We are the closest “skin” God can use to love His child and demonstrate His unconditional love for them.  

It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. To have the privilege to make someone feel special, and to make their life a little easier is priceless.  Wives, wouldn't it bring you unspeakable joy to know that when your husband leaves the house each day, he longs to get home to YOU?  Husbands, can you imagine the “spring” you’d have in your step in knowing your wife excitedly anticipates your return home? 

 
When we just take life as it comes, all too often we set ourselves up for failure. This is true in our homes as well.  We can say we want to have a healthy and happy home, but wanting and doing are two different things.  Good relationships don’t just happen.  To get good at anything there is practice, repetition, and dedication. 

 

Have you ever thought about writing down your goal as a spouse?   When you are making plans for the day with things you wish to accomplish, once you make a checklist of those things, you feel obligated or accountable to do that which you have set in your heart to do.  Likewise, when you get specific as to the spouse you want to be, you are more apt to take the steps to becoming just that.  Then share it with your spouse.  What a beautiful moment you will bring to them when they see your heart’s desire is to bring them joy!

 

How does this sound?        

 

As your lifetime best friend, I want to bring you joy
A place of safety where you can be vulnerable
I want to hold your hand as an encourager, your biggest fan
As your faithful lover, I want to make you feel like the man (woman) you are

I commit to talking things through, never allowing walls to be built up
I will protect your feelings even if I do not agree or understand
I will always do my best to show you how much you’re loved
I want you to never doubt how proud I am that you are mine

I want our home to be a peaceful haven
A place you can retreat to - to be refreshed from each day’s challenges
I want to make you feel alive; adding smiles to your life
Whatever it is I can do, I want to make life easier for you

This is possible, but we have to throw out the 50/50, self seeking mindset “I’ll do for you if you do for me.”  Marriage is teamwork. What team ever succeeded with players only giving 50 percent?  Marriage takes commitment and it is a commitment far beyond staying faithful. 
 

100/100 carries a whole different perspective: to solely seek to satisfy your partner’s needs.   If we want a truly fulfilling marriage, both sides have to give their all. As I tell my children, you are responsible for YOUR actions.  You can’t use someone else’s “shortcuts” as an excuse to not do your best.  I find the things I teach the kids to be sound truth and healthy relationship advice. Ha.  It’s time we as adults start living by the same rule.  If our spouse is having a less than 100% kind of day, guess what?  We aim our own behavior on God’s standards not on the weakness our spouse is having at the moment. J

Let’s make the decision today to be passionate about fulfilling our spouse.  Ask the Lord to put that desire in you if it is currently clouded by negative emotions.  Begin seeing your spouse as a gift of great worth laid in your hands from the Father Himself.  What will you do with this treasure?  Will you protect it from the danger of outside elements?  Will you carefully handle and nurture it in such a way that you yourself do not cause it damage?  This gift given to you will one day be given back to the Giver Himself.  Will your spouse be returned in greater spiritual and emotional condition than upon the day you received them?  I believe that is our mandate as husband, as wife.  May each of us bring glory to God as we purposefully take care of this "gift" of great value!

Kindness

Every person is fighting a battle of some sort whether it is current issues they are facing or those pesky learned behaviors we all have that can make us pretty darn ugly at times.  That is why it is important to lay aside your natural response to take offense, and love the "unlovely."

We haven't been called to give people what they deserve. God has commanded us to treat others as we wish to be treated. We are also shown in Scripture that whatever it is we do to another (negative or positive) we are doing to Jesus Himself. And YES, this includes our spouses and our children :)  

So before you lash out and choose harshness over kindness, pause and picture Jesus standing before you. All hurt inflicted on another is bringing pain to the very heart of God.

 "Rudeness, yelling, anger, and swearing are a weak man’s imitation of strength." (Author Unknown) 

 

I will venture out to re-word "weak man" to not having matured in our ability to process and communicate.  We need to do this if we want to have healthy relationships.  Through clinging to the Father and allowing the Holy Spirit to work, we can respond and speak in such a way that is honoring to others and to God.

Let's be kind to one another. Kindness makes us more attractive :)

 

(Ephesians 4:31-32, Matthew 7:12, Luke 10:27, Proverbs 20:3, Proverbs 29:20, James 1:19, Matthew 25:45)

 

Intricacies of Life

I was walking through a "year round" Christmas store and couldn't help but notice all of the varieties of Christmas villages on display. From afar, they looked nice;  caught my eye, but when I really got up close and saw all of the intricacies of each individual piece, it made the display that much more beautiful and appreciated.

I began to think about our lives and how all too often we look at the BIG picture and we miss the "little" things. Years pass us by and all we can account for is eating, sleeping, and paying the bills  - a life of what appears mundane when you look through it with surface vision. 

Day after day we acknowledge the  existence of people, places, and things but fail to notice their beauty. We grow weary concentrating on what we don't have and miss out on the enjoyment of what is right at our fingertips.  We get so stuck in our routines that we sacrifice relationships both in our homes and beyond the four walls.

Looking at the villages I was also reminded of a couple of verses in Psalm 139. "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it."

When an artist puts detail into his creation: a painting, a sculpture, a writing,  it is placed there for a reason... for the observer to take notice and  to find enjoyment in the beauty and uniqueness of it.

God is the Master Creator, the Master Artist, and He is into detail.  Everything He has ever created is an authentic masterpiece made for not only His pleasure but for ours! Our job is to slow down to find the joy in the NOW.

Let’s stop merely glancing over the big picture of life. Hit the “zoom” button and you’ll discover what a fleeting look will never see.

Begin studying the individuality of your children. Love them BIG right now in both their cuteness and what you may see as annoyances and quirks. Begin noticing the deeper things deposited within your spouse, your family, and your friends rather than year after year maintaining “how's it going?” shallow  relationships where you have no real desire to listen or share in either their joys or their woes.   Quit being satisfied with the pet answer of, "It's going good," and begin to really care about people.   Care about them deeply.  Set aside your selfish, patterned day and allow for interruptions.  In time, it just may dawn on you that they were not interruptions at all.  These were the moments of true living like God intended. 

Seize opportunities to share life together and be an encouragement to one another.  Quit waiting for an "easier" or “more convenient” stage of life to live in the now. Before you know it, the chance you had is over and everything gets pushed off for a future that never comes.

 

 

 

“Slow down and smell the beauty in life.” e

Fulfilling Your Spouse

 

 

We all have our ideals of what we want to GET out of our marriages, but what are we willing to GIVE?  Laying aside our desires for just a moment, let’s think about our spouses. What could we do to assure them they are loved? What would make them feel safe, secure, and truly cared about?  We all have an innate need for these things. What are we doing to daily fulfill it for our partner? 

 

Some of us the yearning and need is even greater because of things we have gone through in life; possibly rejection and abandonment wounds that yes, only the love of the Father can heal, but what if we could play a part in binding up those wounds in our mate as the Father lavishes His love upon them through us?  What if? 

Our relationship with our spouse is to be the most intimate of all relationships we have.  We are neglecting the responsibility given to us when we fail to invest in learning how and applying a level of love to our spouse that is to trump all other earthly relationships they have.  Easier said than done?  Yes.  A lot of denying our own selfish desires and attitudes for the sake of them?  Yes.  Choosing to love them in word and action even when we feel justified in not doing so?  Yes.  We are the closest “skin” God can use to love His child and demonstrate His unconditional love for them.  

It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. To have the privilege to make someone feel special, and to make their life a little easier is priceless.  Wives, wouldn't it bring you unspeakable joy to know that when your husband leaves the house each day, he longs to get home to YOU?  Husbands, can you imagine the “spring” you’d have in your step in knowing your wife excitedly anticipates your return home? 

 
When we just take life as it comes, all too often we set ourselves up for failure. This is true in our homes as well.  We can say we want to have a healthy and happy home, but wanting and doing are two different things.  Good relationships don’t just happen.  To get good at anything there is practice, repetition, and dedication. 

 

Have you ever thought about writing down your goal as a spouse?   When you are making plans for the day with things you wish to accomplish, once you make a checklist of those things, you feel obligated or accountable to do that which you have set in your heart to do.  Likewise, when you get specific as to the spouse you want to be, you are more apt to take the steps to becoming just that.  Then share it with your spouse.  What a beautiful moment you will bring to them when they see your heart’s desire is to bring them joy!

 

How does this sound?        

 

As your lifetime best friend, I want to bring you joy
A place of safety where you can be vulnerable
I want to hold your hand as an encourager, your biggest fan
As your faithful lover, I want to make you feel like the man (woman) you are

I commit to talking things through, never allowing walls to be built up
I will protect your feelings even if I do not agree or understand
I will always do my best to show you how much you’re loved
I want you to never doubt how proud I am that you are mine

I want our home to be a peaceful haven
A place you can retreat to - to be refreshed from each day’s challenges
I want to make you feel alive; adding smiles to your life
Whatever it is I can do, I want to make life easier for you

This is possible, but we have to throw out the 50/50, self seeking mindset “I’ll do for you if you do for me.”  Marriage is teamwork. What team ever succeeded with players only giving 50 percent?  Marriage takes commitment and it is a commitment far beyond staying faithful. 
 

100/100 carries a whole different perspective: to solely seek to satisfy your partner’s needs.   If we want a truly fulfilling marriage, both sides have to give their all. As I tell my children, you are responsible for YOUR actions.  You can’t use someone else’s “shortcuts” as an excuse to not do your best.  I find the things I teach the kids to be sound truth and healthy relationship advice. Ha.  It’s time we as adults start living by the same rule.  If our spouse is having a less than 100% kind of day, guess what?  We aim our own behavior on God’s standards not on the weakness our spouse is having at the moment. J

Let’s make the decision today to be passionate about fulfilling our spouse.  Ask the Lord to put that desire in you if it is currently clouded by negative emotions.  Begin seeing your spouse as a gift of great worth laid in your hands from the Father Himself.  What will you do with this treasure?  Will you protect it from the danger of outside elements?  Will you carefully handle and nurture it in such a way that you yourself do not cause it damage?  This gift given to you will one day be given back to the Giver Himself.  Will your spouse be returned in greater spiritual and emotional condition than upon the day you received them?  I believe that is our mandate as husband, as wife.  May each of us bring glory to God as we purposefully take care of this "gift" of great value!

 

Kindness

 

 

Every person is fighting a battle of some sort whether it is current issues they are facing or those pesky learned behaviors we all have that can make us pretty darn ugly at times.  That is why it is important to lay aside your natural response to take offense, and love the "unlovely."

We haven't been called to give people what they deserve. God has commanded us to treat others as we wish to be treated. We are also shown in Scripture that whatever it is we do to another (negative or positive) we are doing to Jesus Himself. And YES, this includes our spouses and our children :)  

So before you lash out and choose harshness over kindness, pause and picture Jesus standing before you. All hurt inflicted on another is bringing pain to the very heart of God.

 "Rudeness, yelling, anger, and swearing are a weak man’s imitation of strength." (Author Unknown) 

 

I will venture out to re-word "weak man" to not having matured in our ability to process and communicate.  We need to do this if we want to have healthy relationships.  Through clinging to the Father and allowing the Holy Spirit to work, we can respond and speak in such a way that is honoring to others and to God.

Let's be kind to one another. Kindness makes us more attractive :)

   

(Ephesians 4:31-32, Matthew 7:12, Luke 10:27, Proverbs 20:3, Proverbs 29:20, James 1:19, Matthew 25:45)

 

Intricacies of Life

 

I was walking through a "year round" Christmas store and couldn't help but notice all of the Christmas villages on display. From afar, they looked nice, caught my eye, but when I really got up close and looked at all the intricacies of each individual piece, it made the display that much more beautiful and appreciated.

I began to think about our lives and how all too often we look at the BIG picture and we miss the "little" things. Years pass us by and all we can account for is eating, sleeping, and paying the bills ~ a life of what appears mundane when you look through it with "surface" vision. 

We do this day after day acknowledging the "existence" of people, places, and things but never noticing their beauty. We grow weary concentrating on what we don't have and miss out on the enjoyment of what is right at our fingertips.

Looking at the villages I was also reminded of a couple of verses in Psalm 139, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it."

When an artist puts detail into his creation: a painting, a sculpture, a writing ~ it is put there for a reason... for the observer to take notice and find enjoyment in the beauty of it...

God is the Master Creator, the Master Artist and He is into detail! Everything He has ever created is an authentic masterpiece made for not only His pleasure but for ours! BUT we have to slow down to find the joy in the NOW.

Let’s stop merely glancing over the big picture of life. Hit the “zoom in” button and you’ll discover what a fleeting look will never see.

Begin studying the individuality of your children. Love them BIG now right in the midst of their annoyances and quirks. Begin noticing the deeper things deposited within your spouse, significant other, or your friends rather than maintaining “how’s the weather” shallow encounters. Quit waiting for an “easier” or “more convenient” stage of life to live in the now. Before you know it, the chance you had is over. Everything gets pushed off for a future that never comes.

“Slow down and smell the beauty in life…” ets