Oct. 5, 2007 - Notice the Unnoticeable
I want to take a moment to recognize a seemingly unnoticeable thing that my husband did for me. I was gone for the evening to church for our AWANA program. Jim had to stay home with a sick child. Being home alone, he fixed himself some dinner. Instead of leaving the dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter, he washed them all. How can a woman not appreciate that when walking in the door at 9 pm!
I want to challenge myself and all of you to be alert to the otherwise unnoticeable things that others (especially husbands) do for us. Focus on the positive rather than the negative.
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Feb. 4, 2007 - What Compels You?
This morning at church, our class teacher had us looking at a verse in 2 Corinthians. Yes, I was paying attention. However, my eyes roamed over to some verses I had marked some time ago:
2 Corinthians 5:11-15 (NIV) Here's a portion: "For Christ's love compels us....He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."
I had written the definition of compel in the margin: "to urge or drive forcefully or irresistably; to cause to do or occur by overwhelming pressure".
This was a reminder to myself in an area that I needed reminding on! My husband. I want to be compelled to be his wife. When I say "to be his wife", I'm not talking about whether or not to stay married to him but rather to be the kind of wife to Jim that God expects of me.
My husband is what Debi Pearl refers to as a "Command Man". Jim prefers to make and break rules. He's not keen on following rules. He's an all or nothing kind of person. He takes very little time to make up his mind on something and when he does there is no swaying or stopping him. I am so opposite! I analyze things so much that I miss out on some great opportunities. I'm a rule follower, sometimes to my own detriment! We try not to let these differences be a source of conflict and tension - cause you know they can be and they sometimes are.
Jim expects a lot out of me. Sometimes I get tired of trying to be super woman for him. I just can't seem to achieve it all and I begin to have an attitude toward him. Next, the joy is gone in being his wife. It helps me to remember who it is that I am really serving. By serving Jim, I am serving God. By not serving Jim, I am not serving God. That's just the way it is but my sin nature often tells me otherwise - when I take my focus on why I serve Jim.
I want to love God and desire to serve Him so much that I am simply compelled to serve Jim.
Lest you think that I am miserable being married to Jim, quite contrary! He is so good for me. Jim is good at prodding me along and I hope that I am good for bringing him some gentleness and thoughtfulness. Even though I sometimes don't like it, I do really need his decisiveness and direction.
I want to be compelled to pick up and clean up the messes Jim leaves throughout the house (he's messy). Compelled to keep busy in the kitchen (he's constantly eating!). Compelled to be frugal and wise with the money Jim works so hard for (he lets me stay home with the kids). Compelled to keep him stocked with clean, pressed clothes. You know the sorts of things. The list goes on and on.
But it's my heart towards God that determines the level of joy and the attitude with which I do these things. Again, I want to love God and desire to serve Him so much that I am simply compelled to serve Jim.
