I can honestly say - I love being married. I can also honestly say - there is nothing God uses more than my marriage to conform me to the image of His Son! To which my hubby would give a hearty amen, if you know what I'm saying. : )
After hearing the above truth, a married person will (most likely) respond in one of the following ways:
With a smile
Or
With a strong desire to smack the "bearer" upside the head with the nearest blunt object
Believe me, I understand... thus the title, "Marriage, Pucker or Duck!"
Let's begin with a question. Whose idea was it anyway?
Before you de-friend the person who introduced you and your spouse, that's not what I meant.
What I'm asking is - Whose idea was marriage?
In the book of Genesis, we see... Marriage was (and is!) God's idea.
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Gen 2:18
When we read on, we see that God was (and is!) present at the wedding.
...and brought her to the man. Gen 2:22
News flash - whether you invited God to your wedding or not, He was there.
Whether you had a church wedding or not, He was there.
Town Hall, Vegas, drive-thru wedding chapel in the mountains, He was there.
Whether you regret it or not, He was there.
Whether you question now if it was even God's will, He was there.
Last week we looked at some of the devastating ripple effects of divorce. This week, we are taking our eyes off of divorce and setting our hearts on marriage. Join me on Thursday for Part 2 of "Marriage, Pucker or Duck!"
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The Triple D - Divorce, Devastation, Disaster, Part 2
The illustrations from yesterday's post may have seemed a little over-the-top, and may have even made you wonder if they were taken from the sensationalism of daytime televison. I assure you, they were not. Unfortunately, they were all "real-life" examples of hurting children who know the devastation and disaster that accompany divorce.
But as we will see today, children are not the only victims.
Just ask the man, who is desperately trying to put the pieces back together of his shattered life. His wife, on the counsel of her mother that she deserved to be happy, walked out on him, their children, and the life they had built... for another man.
Or the woman, who cries herself to sleep each night wondering why she wasn't enough to keep her husband satisfied. Each day she puts on a mask of bravery to cover the fear and insecurity she now wears in her role as a single mom.
Or how about the man, who after years of chasing happiness, realized (too late) he had traded his wife, his family, and the life they had built, for nothing but "smoke and mirrors!"
Yes, divorce leaves quite a wake of devastation and disaster. The ripples go on, and on, and on...
Is there any wonder God hates divorce?
Join me on Monday when we will take our eyes off of divorce and focus on marriage.
But as we will see today, children are not the only victims.
Just ask the man, who is desperately trying to put the pieces back together of his shattered life. His wife, on the counsel of her mother that she deserved to be happy, walked out on him, their children, and the life they had built... for another man.
Or the woman, who cries herself to sleep each night wondering why she wasn't enough to keep her husband satisfied. Each day she puts on a mask of bravery to cover the fear and insecurity she now wears in her role as a single mom.
Or how about the man, who after years of chasing happiness, realized (too late) he had traded his wife, his family, and the life they had built, for nothing but "smoke and mirrors!"
Yes, divorce leaves quite a wake of devastation and disaster. The ripples go on, and on, and on...
Is there any wonder God hates divorce?
Join me on Monday when we will take our eyes off of divorce and focus on marriage.
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Triple D - Divorce, Devastation, Disaster
In the past week (I am very sorry to say) I have heard ALL of the following: The first was the story of a precious 12 year old girl. Her life had completely changed when her mother told her she was filing for divorce. And in a (STUPID) attempt to make it easier for the child, the mother further added… it was really no big deal because her husband was not even the child’s real father. As you can imagine, this news rocked the little girl to the very core of her being! Trying to be brave but with tears filling her eyes, she said she didn’t know which hurt more. That her daddy was leaving or that he was never her daddy.
The next is of an adorable little 7 year old girl. She was wondering what she should call her “new” daddy. She also wanted to know if he would be replacing her “old” daddy. A further evidence of the decline of her innocence was her curiosity in how “step” and “half” siblings are made. And would she ever have any “whole” siblings.
The final story was of a young man in his mid-20s. The scabs of his childhood wounds were freshly opened when his dad told him he was leaving his “new” wife and family. He could not understand what would make a man want to start over – twice! Needless to say, this young man is having trouble with the idea of marriage for himself.
What a mess! But is it any wonder? In our sin-filled, selfish quest for happiness, we are creating the triple D – Divorce, Devastation, and Disaster. And our children are the recipients of the ripple effects of the emotional trauma.
We rationalize our selfishness as an attempt to do right by our kids, saying things like…
Kids are resilient.
Or
It’s better for us to just part as friends than to become enemies.
We may even begin to believe this nonsense, but that does not make it true! It is never better for the kids when their parents take the easy way out.
In all honesty, and in complete love - that's a bunch of baloney!
Join me tomorrow as we further examine the truth of divorce.
The next is of an adorable little 7 year old girl. She was wondering what she should call her “new” daddy. She also wanted to know if he would be replacing her “old” daddy. A further evidence of the decline of her innocence was her curiosity in how “step” and “half” siblings are made. And would she ever have any “whole” siblings.
The final story was of a young man in his mid-20s. The scabs of his childhood wounds were freshly opened when his dad told him he was leaving his “new” wife and family. He could not understand what would make a man want to start over – twice! Needless to say, this young man is having trouble with the idea of marriage for himself.
What a mess! But is it any wonder? In our sin-filled, selfish quest for happiness, we are creating the triple D – Divorce, Devastation, and Disaster. And our children are the recipients of the ripple effects of the emotional trauma.
We rationalize our selfishness as an attempt to do right by our kids, saying things like…
Kids are resilient.
Or
It’s better for us to just part as friends than to become enemies.
We may even begin to believe this nonsense, but that does not make it true! It is never better for the kids when their parents take the easy way out.
In all honesty, and in complete love - that's a bunch of baloney!
Join me tomorrow as we further examine the truth of divorce.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A Life That "Rocks!"
As promised on Monday, today we will examine... A life that "Rocks!"
Let's first review: As in my previous illustration, a life that "Rocks!" is one that rolls with daily distractions & interruptions, yet continues on beat with its purpose.
That sounds good, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to live life that way? So, assuming we want to live a life that "rocks!" ~ How do we get there?
We must be determined. It is not enough to simply want it, we must make our mission that we will achieve it. There is only one way - through the renewing of our minds. Or (you might say) by being brain washed. Our minds, just like our bodies, will begin to stink without daily washing.
In Philippians 4:8 - We are given our brain washing instructions:
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Be honest and ask yourself...
What are you thinking about?
Whatever it is, dear one, it will eventually be evident in your actions.
Guaranteed.
Let's first review: As in my previous illustration, a life that "Rocks!" is one that rolls with daily distractions & interruptions, yet continues on beat with its purpose.
That sounds good, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to live life that way? So, assuming we want to live a life that "rocks!" ~ How do we get there?
We must be determined. It is not enough to simply want it, we must make our mission that we will achieve it. There is only one way - through the renewing of our minds. Or (you might say) by being brain washed. Our minds, just like our bodies, will begin to stink without daily washing.
In Philippians 4:8 - We are given our brain washing instructions:
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Be honest and ask yourself...
What are you thinking about?
Whatever it is, dear one, it will eventually be evident in your actions.
Guaranteed.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Life's What You Make It - So Let's Make It Rock...
If you have a daughter, a grandaugther, a niece, a sister, or just know a girl under the age of 18, you may recognize the above title as a popular Hannah Montana song.
Why would I choose it for this blog post? Allow me to explain...
As I write this, I am one day removed from a fun, fast-paced, wonderful adventure, with my 7 year old grandaughter. Yes, I said grandaughter. And yes, I AM too young to be a grandmother. Thank you for noticing. Now, let's move on. : )
The past two weeks can be summed up with one word - FUN!
My baby girl and I were determined, and you might even say, on a mission. Our goal was to enjoy our time together, and to make the most of each day while we were together.
We laughed, we played, we tried new things, and we visited new places. And everywhere we went, we sang!
Boy did we sing.
What did we sing?
You guessed it - one of our favorites was...
Life's what you make it, so let's make it ROCK!!! Everybody now...
Can you see how that could get stuck in your head?
It did.
It is.
And I hope it continues to be.
The attitude permeated our minds, and was manifest in our actions.
The result, we responded well to what each new day held.
We rolled with "surprises" and "interruptions" to our plans.
We continued "on purpose" with a song in our heart.
We had a blast and life "Rocked!"
Check back on Thursday as we look further into a life that "Rocks!"
Why would I choose it for this blog post? Allow me to explain...
As I write this, I am one day removed from a fun, fast-paced, wonderful adventure, with my 7 year old grandaughter. Yes, I said grandaughter. And yes, I AM too young to be a grandmother. Thank you for noticing. Now, let's move on. : )
The past two weeks can be summed up with one word - FUN!
My baby girl and I were determined, and you might even say, on a mission. Our goal was to enjoy our time together, and to make the most of each day while we were together.
We laughed, we played, we tried new things, and we visited new places. And everywhere we went, we sang!
Boy did we sing.
What did we sing?
You guessed it - one of our favorites was...
Life's what you make it, so let's make it ROCK!!! Everybody now...
Can you see how that could get stuck in your head?
It did.
It is.
And I hope it continues to be.
The attitude permeated our minds, and was manifest in our actions.
The result, we responded well to what each new day held.
We rolled with "surprises" and "interruptions" to our plans.
We continued "on purpose" with a song in our heart.
We had a blast and life "Rocked!"
Check back on Thursday as we look further into a life that "Rocks!"
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