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I started reading "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey... and it is SO good. I highly recommend the book to anyone who is/thinks she is/wants to be financially stable. In the very beginning of the book, Dave Ramsey says that "winning at money is 80 percent behavior and 20% head knowledge." This book does not contain any "secrets" or "magic formula to wealth". Instead, the Total Money Makeover plan reveals some SIMPLE truths about money and its relation to you and I...
Here are some other great quotes so far from the book:
-"Ninety percent of solving a problem is realizing there is one."
-"Overspending that doesn't feel like overspending because things are going well is still overspending."
-"Being willing to delay pleasure for a greater result is a sign of maturity."
-"The best way to build wealth is to become and stay debt-free."
-"The 'good enough" can become the enemy of 'the best'."
It is so easy for us moms to get caught up in the immediate needs our of children.. we often times forget that our husbands have needs too! They may feel neglected or unloved...
Today, send a note/text/e-mail to your husband with TEN THINGS YOU LOVE/ADORE/APPRECIATE about him! Just because... and just to let him know you still like him A LOT!! :)
A very subtle issue that is often brought into marriage is emotional baggage. Emotions of guilt, bitterness, and resentment from previous relationships can surface in marriage. It's a form of spiritual and emotional bondage that can distract spouses from being fully committed to each other.
If this is an issue in your marriage, simply ask God to release you from relational bondage. Freedom from the past is possible, and prayer has the power to rid hearts from these distracting emotions.
Recently, my husband has been dealing with health concerns that have been consuming him and also distracting him from the things that he wants/needs to focus on. As he is going through this, God has been teaching me to pray more fervently for his health (which is good because we're both aging quickly and I need to learn how to pray for his health more effectively).
Whether your husband is dealing with mental health issues, chronic pain, diabetes, bad diet, etc.. as wives, we all need to pray perseveringly for their health.
Lord, I pray for Your healing touch on (husband's name). Make every part of his body function the way You designed it to. Wherever there is anything out of balance, set it in perfect working order. Heal him of any disease, illness, injury, infirmity, or weakness. Strengthen his body to successfully endure his workload, and when he sleeps may he wake up completely rested, rejuvenated and refreshed. Give him a strong heart that doesn't fail. I don't want him to have heart failure at any time.
I pray that he will have the desire to take care of his body, to eat the kind of food that brings health, to get regular exercise, and avoid anything that would be harmful to him. Help him to understand that his body is Your temple and that he should care for it s such (1 Corinthians 3:16). I pray that he will present it as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to You (Romans 12:1).
When he is ill, I pray that You will sustain him and heal him. Fill him with your joy to give him strength. Specifically, I pray for (mention any area of concern). Give him faith to say, "'O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me' (Pslam 30:2). Thank you Lord that You are my Healer." I pray that my husband will live a long and healthy life and when death does come, may it be accompanied by peace and not unbearable suffering agony. Thank you, Lord, that You will be there to welcome him into Your presence, and not a moment before Your appointed hour.
We all know that finding a babysitter for a date night can be a gigantic hassle...unless you have parents or in-laws nearby that are willing to come over any time. But even then, they may not want to babysit any later than 9pm.
When we discovered that we had a neighbor that attended our church (and they had a little one also), my husband and I knew we had to jump on this opportunity to do a "babysitting swap"! Since we both had breastfeeding babies at that time (and both slept by 7pm), we thought that the easiest thing would be to go out after we put our kids to sleep... So, one of them would come over to "babysit" (or it was more like, just sit and watch TV) after we put our daughter down.. and either my husband or I would go over to their place after they put their daughter down. It worked out great!! It literally took a few steps to get back home, so neither of us really cared how late the other came home.. plus, it was the easiest thing ever!!
Although we had to move away from our old neighbors, God has blessed us with some other amazing friends to do "babysitting swap" with. We don't live as close (but still only a 10min drive away) and we babysit for each other once a month so at least we are guaranteed one date with our spouse per month. :)
There's nothing better than having someone that you trust and love (and who your children love) babysit for you... and returning the favor so that you can bless them as well! Doing a "babysitting swap" will save you money, headache, stress and hassle!!
"One of the greatest ministries a wife can have in her husband's life is the ministry of encouragement through admiration. Not flattery, but sincere praise."
This has been a very challenging week. My car broke down in the desert. I was admitted to the ER for heart trouble. My son is very allergic to walnuts, apparently. And there's actually more to the list, but through it all, my husband has been my comfort and strength, encouraging me with prayer and loving support. The dynamic of husband and wife as a pair, as teammates, in taking care of each other and their children is powerful. Take time to appreciate and bless your God-given companion.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:10
"Date Nights" are a MUST when you have little ones.
As challenging as it might be to find the time and energy to get out of the house with your spouse after a busy day (...not to mention arranging for a sitter, making sure your kids will be okay with the sitter, etc.), it is one of the most valuable things you can do for your marriage.
When my first child was only a few weeks old, I remember reading in a book about the importance of going out on a date with your spouse every week after the baby is born... and I honestly thought that the author was nuts! First of all, I was exhausted from taking care of the newborn and who can afford going out every week anyway? But as my baby grew older (and I was less tired), I knew that we had to make "dating" a priority in our marriage.
Since we can not afford to go to a restaurant for a romantic dinner every week, we have designated one day of the week where we will spend quality time with each other after the kids go to sleep. Whether this time is spent watching a movie together on the couch, playing games, having a conversation (without being interrupted)... this has definitely brought us closer and it is also something we look forward to every week.
I hope and pray that every quality moment you spend with your spouse will reignite your marriage and the love you have for one another!
Heard a very powerful message by Mike Erre on marriage....and what divorce says to kids. Below are some notes I took. You can listen to it on podcast (message titled "1 Corinthians Pt3- The Gift of Marriage" 5/17/09) or go to the Rock Harbor website.
What divorce says to your kids: -If I don't like something that the scriptures teach, I don't have to obey it and neither do you -You don't have to keep your promise -It's okay to get out if it gets really hard -God isn't big enough to redeem this -And my short-term happiness is more important than your long-term happiness
When you stick together, here is what you are saying: -God can redeem anything -By His grace and strength, when we make promises we keep them -Your long-term happiness is more important than my short-term happiness -You are special enough to stay together for -And when the scripture commands something under God's authority, we do it even if we don't like it
In the message, Mike Erre mentions that there are obvious exceptions where couples have to/need to separate. But for all others, we have to do everything in our power to stay together... especially for our kids.
Seems like a no-brainer right?...But when we spend all day thinking about and caring for our children, we can easily forget and/or neglect the needs of our husbands. We attempt to meet the needs of our children all day long, why can't we do the same for our husbands?
Proverbs 31says, "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." In order for our marriage to stay strong, we must make every attempt to be good to our husbands, showing him that he is (and our relationship is) more important than anything else in our lives.
-Thank God DAILY for such a terrific guy, mentioning specific qualities for which you are grateful.
-Look for DAILY ways to be a blessing to your husband (trying to understand what pleases him, anticipating his needs, etc.)
As challenging as this may be (especially at the end of a long and tiring day), we must remember that our marriage (and our husbands) are worth all of our love, effort, sacrifice and investment!
"The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-that they admonish the young women to love their husbands to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." Titus 2:3-5
