"I love you."
"Why? Why did you choose me?"
What if every time you told your spouse or your children that you loved them they asked why? For the first couple of times, you'd say "I love you because you're wonderful" or "I love you because your caring" or "I love you because..."
But if they kept doing it, you'd finally get fed up.
"I love you. Can't you just accept that?"
This morning, the pastor talked about how we are chosen by God, and how some people have a difficult time accepting that. Why did God choose me? Why didn't God choose someone else, someone better?
He chose to save us because he loves us. He loves us, even in our difficulties and sin, to show his grace and glory to the world.
That's it.
Accept it.
When we keep questioning God, his motives and why he didn't choose someone else, it's annoying and self-deprecating, just like if our family members kept asking why we love them. We would just want them to accept that love.
That's what we're supposed to do --- accept God's love, love him back and show him we love him through our actions.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Sous chef
On Tuesday night, I had to make cookies for a work program the next day. But first, I had to run to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things.
When I was checking out, Nate called me and said that one of our friends was going to come over for dinner because his wife was working late. It was last-minute, but what can you do?
At home, Nate was sitting at the computer, working on his resume for a class he is taking. He asked me to come help, and I looked at the clock to see the time ticking away, knowing that I had to make cookies and dinner still. I felt myself getting tense but decided to quickly prioritize and calmed as I knew that this class took precedence above the rest that I could do later that evening.
I was on the second pan of cookies when Nate stood across the counter from me, "What can I do?" he asked.
"You want to make green bean casserole? I'll tell you how to do it."
He went to the cupboard and picked out the casserole dish I usually use for this veggie favorite.
"Get two cans of green beans and drain the water out of them," I said.
"OK, stop there and then after I'm done give me the next step," he said as he grabbed the cans from the cupboard.
After we successfully got the green bean casserole ready for the oven, I asked him if he wanted to make veggie dip as well, and we walked through that one too.
"I'm your sous chef," he said.
We both smiled. We got everything done that needed done by the time our friend arrived, my stress level was non-existent, and I smiled as he headed outside to start the grill.
"Thank you Lord for my husband," I breathed as I kept finishing up the kitchen duties.
I am so thankful for the man in my life. I am so thankful for a husband who cherishes me daily in the little things. I am thankful God is at work in lives, making us better each moment.
Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope you have a wonderful day cherishing your spouses too.
When I was checking out, Nate called me and said that one of our friends was going to come over for dinner because his wife was working late. It was last-minute, but what can you do?
At home, Nate was sitting at the computer, working on his resume for a class he is taking. He asked me to come help, and I looked at the clock to see the time ticking away, knowing that I had to make cookies and dinner still. I felt myself getting tense but decided to quickly prioritize and calmed as I knew that this class took precedence above the rest that I could do later that evening.
I was on the second pan of cookies when Nate stood across the counter from me, "What can I do?" he asked.
"You want to make green bean casserole? I'll tell you how to do it."
He went to the cupboard and picked out the casserole dish I usually use for this veggie favorite.
"Get two cans of green beans and drain the water out of them," I said.
"OK, stop there and then after I'm done give me the next step," he said as he grabbed the cans from the cupboard.
After we successfully got the green bean casserole ready for the oven, I asked him if he wanted to make veggie dip as well, and we walked through that one too.
"I'm your sous chef," he said.
We both smiled. We got everything done that needed done by the time our friend arrived, my stress level was non-existent, and I smiled as he headed outside to start the grill.
"Thank you Lord for my husband," I breathed as I kept finishing up the kitchen duties.
I am so thankful for the man in my life. I am so thankful for a husband who cherishes me daily in the little things. I am thankful God is at work in lives, making us better each moment.
Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope you have a wonderful day cherishing your spouses too.
Monday, November 13, 2017
I live by a different standard
I've been thinking a lot about why liberals and conservatives, why non-Christians and Christians just can't see eye to eye.
In my last blog, I talked about how I just can't comprehend why people can't see that men and women are different.
There's a lot of arguments like that.
Why do people think divorce is such a good option? Why is homosexuality OK and out-of-the-norm sexual behaviors are even encouraged? Why isn't obvious that abortion is killing a child?
There are so many issues that seem black and white to me, but I have seen through the years that people who disagree are not going to come around. In fact, they hate that I even have my view. They hate that I would express something countering their views.
My husband the other night talked about how impossible it is to explain my viewpoint when it mirrors that of the Bible. When I talk about how the Bible says that homosexuality is wrong, it doesn't work because the person that I am talking to doesn't believe in the Bible. When I talk about how people divorce too easily, that it is a lifetime commitment, because it is a biblical covenant, they don't agree because their standard is not the Bible.
Christians who live by the Word of God live by a different standard.
I've always thought that means that we live "above" others. It doesn't mean we are prideful, but there should be a difference that shows that our lives are holier, are set apart, are more moral. But in this day and age, I'm starting to see that living by a different standard doesn't always look appealing to others.
Living by a different standard doesn't mean that people will want the great lives we have. It means that they don't understand me. It means that they look at me strangely. It means that I look weird. It means that they won't like me and my views.
When it comes down to the fact that my views reflect the Bible, it means that they will look down on me. It means we won't find a middle ground, because that middle ground doesn't exist. It's their way or no way. It's the Bible way or no way for me.
It also goes back to the suffering blog I wrote. I live by a different standard, and instead of being rewarded for it, like I thought when I was a kid, I'm seeing that different means I will have to suffer. People aren't going to get it.
And that's OK.
Just like a woman is different from a man, a Christian is different too.
I live by a different standard. My husband and I live by different standards than everyone else.
That is going to be eye-opening to me as I look at the world in a new way.
In my last blog, I talked about how I just can't comprehend why people can't see that men and women are different.
There's a lot of arguments like that.
Why do people think divorce is such a good option? Why is homosexuality OK and out-of-the-norm sexual behaviors are even encouraged? Why isn't obvious that abortion is killing a child?
There are so many issues that seem black and white to me, but I have seen through the years that people who disagree are not going to come around. In fact, they hate that I even have my view. They hate that I would express something countering their views.
My husband the other night talked about how impossible it is to explain my viewpoint when it mirrors that of the Bible. When I talk about how the Bible says that homosexuality is wrong, it doesn't work because the person that I am talking to doesn't believe in the Bible. When I talk about how people divorce too easily, that it is a lifetime commitment, because it is a biblical covenant, they don't agree because their standard is not the Bible.
Christians who live by the Word of God live by a different standard.
I've always thought that means that we live "above" others. It doesn't mean we are prideful, but there should be a difference that shows that our lives are holier, are set apart, are more moral. But in this day and age, I'm starting to see that living by a different standard doesn't always look appealing to others.
Living by a different standard doesn't mean that people will want the great lives we have. It means that they don't understand me. It means that they look at me strangely. It means that I look weird. It means that they won't like me and my views.
When it comes down to the fact that my views reflect the Bible, it means that they will look down on me. It means we won't find a middle ground, because that middle ground doesn't exist. It's their way or no way. It's the Bible way or no way for me.
It also goes back to the suffering blog I wrote. I live by a different standard, and instead of being rewarded for it, like I thought when I was a kid, I'm seeing that different means I will have to suffer. People aren't going to get it.
And that's OK.
Just like a woman is different from a man, a Christian is different too.
I live by a different standard. My husband and I live by different standards than everyone else.
That is going to be eye-opening to me as I look at the world in a new way.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Women are different than men. Final word.
Men and women are different.
There, I said it.
I am utterly confused by what the problem is with that statement. Our pastor preaches a sermon on how the Bible clearly says this, and people leave the church. I watched a video today about someone who was fired from Google because he wrote something of the sort.
God created Adam and Eve. No I'm going to say he didn't create Adam and Steve. It's the simple fact that God created two that goes along with this point. Adam wasn't enough. He needed someone else. But he didn't need a carbon copy of himself. He needed someone that complemented him, someone who was different. He needed a woman.
It frustrates me to no end that feminists think that men and women have to be exactly the same to be equal. We don't.
I truly believe that I, as a woman, have equal worth to men. I am capable. I am valued. I am worthy.
But I am not the same.
I think emotionally, at first. I can be logical, but I know that my go-to is to think with my emotions until I realize it and back off. That's OK. But it is different than men are wired.
I am weak(er). I work out. I lift weights. But there is a limit to my strength, and when it comes to that, I'm OK with a stronger man taking over. It doesn't make me doubt my worth, but it does make me different.
I provide a nice home. I decorate to make it comfy. I clean to make it comfy. I cook to make it comfy. I work but I also serve at home. Because I serve my husband, it doesn't make me unequal or unworthy. In fact, I think it makes a wife more worthy. It makes her different.
I support my husband. I've said before there can't be two heads of a household, like there's only one president, one CEO of a company, one director at my job. There has to be an ultimate decision-maker or things are in chaos, and I'm proud to support my husband and to let him shine by being the leader of our household. It doesn't mean we're not of equal worth, but we're different.
I don't think I'm saying this all that well, probably because I'm so passionate about it.
I love being a woman. I wouldn't want to be a man. I love the way that God created me.
Woman are always wanting to say that we should love who we are, that we should appreciate the bodies we have, that we should be proud of ourselves.
But if we don't appreciate our womanness and are always trying to be "equal" to or just like a man, what are we proud of?
When did being unique become a bad thing? People talk about how good it is to be different yet try to make everyone the same.
I was raised taught to be the woman that God created me to be. That means a woman that is selfless, generous, takes care of her family and her home, works hard and listens to others. That means a woman who is a helpmate to her spouse but chooses to let him have the final word on things, because she was blessed with a husband that God chose to lead their home. That means a woman who is strong enough to admit she is wrong, and flexible enough to bend when things don't go her way.
I am different. I am unique. I am a woman.
And that means I am different than a man.
There, I said it.
I am utterly confused by what the problem is with that statement. Our pastor preaches a sermon on how the Bible clearly says this, and people leave the church. I watched a video today about someone who was fired from Google because he wrote something of the sort.
God created Adam and Eve. No I'm going to say he didn't create Adam and Steve. It's the simple fact that God created two that goes along with this point. Adam wasn't enough. He needed someone else. But he didn't need a carbon copy of himself. He needed someone that complemented him, someone who was different. He needed a woman.
It frustrates me to no end that feminists think that men and women have to be exactly the same to be equal. We don't.
I truly believe that I, as a woman, have equal worth to men. I am capable. I am valued. I am worthy.
But I am not the same.
I think emotionally, at first. I can be logical, but I know that my go-to is to think with my emotions until I realize it and back off. That's OK. But it is different than men are wired.
I am weak(er). I work out. I lift weights. But there is a limit to my strength, and when it comes to that, I'm OK with a stronger man taking over. It doesn't make me doubt my worth, but it does make me different.
I provide a nice home. I decorate to make it comfy. I clean to make it comfy. I cook to make it comfy. I work but I also serve at home. Because I serve my husband, it doesn't make me unequal or unworthy. In fact, I think it makes a wife more worthy. It makes her different.
I support my husband. I've said before there can't be two heads of a household, like there's only one president, one CEO of a company, one director at my job. There has to be an ultimate decision-maker or things are in chaos, and I'm proud to support my husband and to let him shine by being the leader of our household. It doesn't mean we're not of equal worth, but we're different.
I don't think I'm saying this all that well, probably because I'm so passionate about it.
I love being a woman. I wouldn't want to be a man. I love the way that God created me.
Woman are always wanting to say that we should love who we are, that we should appreciate the bodies we have, that we should be proud of ourselves.
But if we don't appreciate our womanness and are always trying to be "equal" to or just like a man, what are we proud of?
When did being unique become a bad thing? People talk about how good it is to be different yet try to make everyone the same.
I was raised taught to be the woman that God created me to be. That means a woman that is selfless, generous, takes care of her family and her home, works hard and listens to others. That means a woman who is a helpmate to her spouse but chooses to let him have the final word on things, because she was blessed with a husband that God chose to lead their home. That means a woman who is strong enough to admit she is wrong, and flexible enough to bend when things don't go her way.
I am different. I am unique. I am a woman.
And that means I am different than a man.
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Suffer well for the gospel
Nate and I started attending a small group through church, something we haven't done together before. His work schedule is so erratic, there has never been a time that we could consistently attend.
We started going through the book of Jude for a month before we dive into a different study once the youth pastor joins our group, and it was an interesting discussion.
"...I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
To contend for the faith, to fight for it. Another translation says to contend for the faith that had been entrusted to the saints. Entrusted --- to give something valuable for someone to protect.
Dave Ramsey often talks about how we are stewards with our money, that it doesn't belong to us, but God has entrusted us with it and we are to use it wisely and for God's purposes. How much more does that apply to the gospel message? We are given a huge gift, a valuable gift, and we are to protect it, to share it wisely, to make sure that it doesn't just die with us.
In a world that constantly wants to make me hug my faith and keep it all to myself because no one else seems to treasure it, it's also important that I contend for it. I have to keep fighting for what is truth.
This morning, I'm proofreading one of my pastor's sermons, and it is on the same lines. In a study of Colossians, Paul also wrote about how contending for the faith is not easy. We are expected to suffer when we talk about our faith.
I often feel like if sharing the faith isn't easy, if it hurts, then I'm doing something wrong. That's not the way to look at it though. Jesus suffered. Stephen suffered. Peter suffered. Paul suffered. Martyrs throughout history have suffered.
Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to save us from our sins. Truly, nothing else matters.
But it's scary to truly live like that.
I hate to admit that. I hate to admit that I'm fearful. I serve a God that I should fear, not the people around me, not what is happening in this world.
It's one of those things that has come up twice, and when that happens, I always know God is trying to tell me something.
Be without fear, daughter. Suffer well.
We started going through the book of Jude for a month before we dive into a different study once the youth pastor joins our group, and it was an interesting discussion.
"...I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
To contend for the faith, to fight for it. Another translation says to contend for the faith that had been entrusted to the saints. Entrusted --- to give something valuable for someone to protect.
Dave Ramsey often talks about how we are stewards with our money, that it doesn't belong to us, but God has entrusted us with it and we are to use it wisely and for God's purposes. How much more does that apply to the gospel message? We are given a huge gift, a valuable gift, and we are to protect it, to share it wisely, to make sure that it doesn't just die with us.
In a world that constantly wants to make me hug my faith and keep it all to myself because no one else seems to treasure it, it's also important that I contend for it. I have to keep fighting for what is truth.
This morning, I'm proofreading one of my pastor's sermons, and it is on the same lines. In a study of Colossians, Paul also wrote about how contending for the faith is not easy. We are expected to suffer when we talk about our faith.
I often feel like if sharing the faith isn't easy, if it hurts, then I'm doing something wrong. That's not the way to look at it though. Jesus suffered. Stephen suffered. Peter suffered. Paul suffered. Martyrs throughout history have suffered.
Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to save us from our sins. Truly, nothing else matters.
But it's scary to truly live like that.
I hate to admit that. I hate to admit that I'm fearful. I serve a God that I should fear, not the people around me, not what is happening in this world.
It's one of those things that has come up twice, and when that happens, I always know God is trying to tell me something.
Be without fear, daughter. Suffer well.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Hitting pause
"Did you quit blogging?" Nate asked me last night.
I looked at him, kinda guiltily. "Noooo... I've been busy."
OK, so maybe I have had a few moments where I chose to watch TV (more than a few) than blog in the past two months, but I'll try to get better at it again.
It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about. I have. When thinking on it, I thought about several instances that I should have written down when they happened.
(Pause to make you smile: I just got up because the microwave beeper went off. I opened it to get my hot apple cider. I forgot to put it in the microwave. It was still sitting on the counter. The inside of the microwave was toasty though.)
For a class, Nate read "Cherish" as well, and I have seen plenty of ways that he has tried to cherish me since reading it, and I have been over the moon about how he has implemented small changes that really make me swoon.
For instance, one night, we were watching "Generation Kill" on Amazon Video. I was in a chatty mood and kept talking to him, and I could tell he was trying to watch and listen to me at the same time. He finally picked up the remote and put the TV on pause while I talked.
I finished the story quickly, thinking that I had annoyed him and he couldn't hear the show, and said, "Sorry. I'll stop talking."
"No, I just put it on pause so I could listen to you. I'm cherishing you."
Wow.
Mind blown.
Like so many things, I had jumped to a conclusion. I immediately figured I was just bugging him, and instead he was just truly listening to me. He put what he wanted to watch on pause so that he wasn't distracted and could actually hear what I was saying.
And, guys, I have to say, that was huge to me. He paused a show for a grand total of 20 seconds to listen to what I was saying, and it made a huge impact. This was a couple of weeks ago, and I still remember it because I felt so treasured, so cherished.
It's the little things people. Make small choices to cherish your spouse today.
I looked at him, kinda guiltily. "Noooo... I've been busy."
OK, so maybe I have had a few moments where I chose to watch TV (more than a few) than blog in the past two months, but I'll try to get better at it again.
It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about. I have. When thinking on it, I thought about several instances that I should have written down when they happened.
(Pause to make you smile: I just got up because the microwave beeper went off. I opened it to get my hot apple cider. I forgot to put it in the microwave. It was still sitting on the counter. The inside of the microwave was toasty though.)
For a class, Nate read "Cherish" as well, and I have seen plenty of ways that he has tried to cherish me since reading it, and I have been over the moon about how he has implemented small changes that really make me swoon.
For instance, one night, we were watching "Generation Kill" on Amazon Video. I was in a chatty mood and kept talking to him, and I could tell he was trying to watch and listen to me at the same time. He finally picked up the remote and put the TV on pause while I talked.
I finished the story quickly, thinking that I had annoyed him and he couldn't hear the show, and said, "Sorry. I'll stop talking."
"No, I just put it on pause so I could listen to you. I'm cherishing you."
Wow.
Mind blown.
Like so many things, I had jumped to a conclusion. I immediately figured I was just bugging him, and instead he was just truly listening to me. He put what he wanted to watch on pause so that he wasn't distracted and could actually hear what I was saying.
And, guys, I have to say, that was huge to me. He paused a show for a grand total of 20 seconds to listen to what I was saying, and it made a huge impact. This was a couple of weeks ago, and I still remember it because I felt so treasured, so cherished.
It's the little things people. Make small choices to cherish your spouse today.
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