Twenty Years Ago Today

January 1, 2006, was a Sunday. After church that morning, we nonchalantly walked up to the front of the sanctuary and got married. Only a handful of people knew, and it was such a special surprise to our new church family.

And that day began the most amazing 20-year journey with my best friend.

Over the past two decades, God has shown me a lot about how to make a marriage that glorifies Him. It's not been an easy road, but following His guidance and loving my husband the way He wants me to has been worth every mile.

So here are 20 lessons learned in 20 years:

* Above all else, pray for your spouse. They need the prayer and you need the practice!

* You have the power to make your spouse's life easier or more difficult - the choice is yours. Choose the life that is better.

* Your marriage is a living, breathing sermon, a ministry that is built in your home and shared in public.

* When your spouse is angry, irritated, or frustrated, remind yourself that some part of them is wounded right now. It's up to you to do everything possible to love and encourage them while they heal.

* Don't treat your spouse the way they "deserve." Treat them the way Christ expects.

* Go beyond love - add in respect, desire, belief, and faithfulness.

* Selfishness has no place in marriage. Humility says You are more important to me than myself.

* Apologize when you don't feel like it, forgive when you shouldn't have to, and show love when it seems the hardest.

* You win spiritual battles as a couple when you pray together and fight for each other.

* Watch your tone of voice. Imagine if someone who didn't know you heard your words about your spouse.

* Your home should be your spouse's safest place on earth, and you are the major influence in that safety.

* Don't forget that in every disagreement in your marriage, your spouse is always more important than your own opinion.

* Defend your spouse and stand up for them. Never say anything negative about them in public, but choose to build them up or say nothing at all.

* Give them the best of you - your attention, your support, your encouragement, your kindness, your time, your love. Nobody gets more of you than your spouse.

* Dedicate your life to moving closer to God. He will move you closer to your spouse in return.

* Know absolutely everything about them: their likes, dislikes, favorites, interests, special quirks. Then put that knowledge to use by talking about them, buying them, sharing them, and learning them.

* Promise to never nag, manipulate, shame, or control each other. This is may be a serious shift in your heart attitude.

* Behave like the spouse you'd like to come home to. Your actions are the only ones you can control.

* Don't expect your spouse to be things for you that only God can be. Your spouse can't do His job.

* Study Scripture together. Go to church together. Listen to godly music together. Grow together.

What marriage less would you add to the list?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more