THE LAST DAY

As most of you know, Joe and I have been participating in the LOVE DARE and I have been posting the days on my blog as well. Not only has the LOVE DARE made a HUGE impact on our marriage but it's making a HUGE impact in my relationship with CHRIST. It has caused me to do some MAJOR soul searching and I found I didn't like everything I found. I have discovered that I NEED GOD in my life but more than that I WANT GOD in my life, in my marriage AND in the lives of my sons. What kind of mother would I be if I did not raise them with GOD in their hearts? What kind of mother would I be if I didn't show them the way to everlasting life, to the kind of wonderful blessings GOD can bestow on them?
I grew up in church. My parents made sure of that. I can't imagine having missed out on all the many experiences I had because of that. I can't imagine having missed out on the amazing relationship with GOD that I had developed. I even found a wonderful church while living with Joe in Louisville. I went on my own and before long our roommates and Joe saw the influence it was having on my life and began to join me. Joe was baptized there within weeks before our wedding and we had our wedding at that same church. Our lives together and especially our lives in Christ had never been better!
Then came pregnancy with complications, premature babies that had to come home and stay home until their bodies were stronger and about the time that they got to that point came another pregnancy. By this time we hadn't stepped foot in a church in over a year. Sadly that became our norm after all the boys were born and beyond. They all had colic....at the same time. I was exhausted. Joe was out of town weeks at a time for National Guard. Not to mention how big of a chore it was to pack up a diaper bag for 3 boys ages 1 and under and get 3 babies and myself ready for church and haul all of us and our gear into church. Not that I am making excuses but just showing how easy it can be to loose your relationship with GOD. Don't get me wrong, I knew he was still there. How could I not with the blessings in my life? But not being able to attend church and not making that effort to put him first drew me away from him. I am embarrassed to admit it but Joe and I have probably been in church since the boys no more times than I can count on both my hands. Not only am I embarrassed, I am ashamed. I know in my heart that some of it was out of laziness and selfishness.
Yesterday I had a moment that changed EVERYTHING! One of those moments where you actually FEEL the Holy Spirit working in your life...speaking to your heart. The boys were outside playing in the back yard. I was doing my LOVE DAY for the day. Through the words in my LOVE DARE I knew God was trying to tell me something. I felt it. I began to pray. I prayed so hard and so intensely just sitting at my kitchen table while my boys were outside. I cried and told God how sorry I was for loosing my bond with him. For the mistakes I had made in my life and what they had cost me. I prayed he forgive me and show me the way. I prayed he would help me find peace, that he would help me become a better mother and wife. I prayed that he would accept me back in his loving arms and forgive me for how I had so badly failed him.
Friends, the peace I felt after this prayer was like no other peace I had ever felt. I forgave not only myself but those who I hurt me as well. Grudges I had been harboring were released and I prayed for those who had caused me pain and hurt. I felt in my heart as well that God had forgiven me. HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!
Phiippians 4:6-7 reads: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
As the scripture says, I have found peace in the LORD GOD. I am opening myself to let HIM guide my life and show me the way.
At class last night was more examples of how GOD is working in not only my life but the lives of others around me. My dear friend also had a similar experience and felt God talking to her as well! I was so happy or her! I pray that God can use me to guide her and keep building her faith as well as my own!
THANK YOU GOD FOR BEING THE AMAZING GOD YOU ARE!


THE LAST DAY


1. God won't ask what kind of car you drove. He will ask you how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.


2. God won't ask you the square footage of your house. He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.


3. God won't ask you about the clothes you had in your closet. He'll ask how many you helped clothe.


4. God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.


5. God won't ask what your job title was. He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.


6. God won't ask you how many friends you had. He'll ask you how many people to whom you were a friend.


7. God what ask you in what neighborhood you lived. He'll ask how you treated your neighbor.


8. God won't ask you about the color of your skin. He'll ask about the content of your character.


9. God won't ask why it took you so long to seek salvation. He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not the gates of hell.


10. God won't have to ask you how many people you witnessed to. He already knows.


Psalms 40:1-3

I waited patiently for God to help me; then He listened and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things He did for me, and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in Him.



DAY 23

LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS

Love always protects. - 1 Corinthians 13:7

Marriage is made up of many things, including joys, sorrows, successes, and failures. But when you think about what you want marriage to be like, the furthest thing from your mind is a battleground. However, there are some battles you should be more than willing to fight. These are battles that pertain to protecting your spouse.

Unfortunately your marriage has enemies out there. They come in different forms and use different strategies, but nonetheless they will conspire to destroy your relationship unless you know how to ward them off.

Some are clever and seem attractive, only to undermine your love and appreciation for one another. Others try to lure your heart away from your spouse by feeding you unhealthy fantasies and unrealistic comparisons. It’s a battle you must wage to protect your marriage – when love puts on armor and picks up a sword to defend its own. Your mate and your marriage need your constant protection from things like:

Harmful influences. Are you allowing certain habits to poison your home? The Internet and television can be productive and enjoyable additions to your life, but they can also bring in destructive content and drain away precious hours from your family. The same thing goes for work schedules that keep you separated from each other for unhealthy amounts of time.
You can’t protect your home when you’re rarely there, nor when you’re relationally disconnected. You have to fight to keep balance right.

Unhealthy relationships. Not everyone has the material to be a good friend. Not every man you hunt and fish with speaks wisely when it comes to matters of marriage. Not every woman in your lunch group has a good perspective on commitment and priorities. In fact, anyone who undermines your marriage does not deserve to be given the title of “friend.” And certainly you must be on guard at all times from allowing opposite-sex relationships at work, the gym, or even church to draw you emotionally away from the one to whom you’ve already given your heart.

Shame. Everyone deals with some level of inferiority and weakness. And because marriage has a way of exposing it all to you and your mate, you need to protect your wife or husband’s vulnerability by never speaking negatively about them in public. Their secrets are your secrets (unless, of course, these involve destructive behaviors that are putting you, your children, or themselves in grave danger). Generally speaking, love hides the fault of others. It covers their shame.

Parasites. Watch out for parasites. A parasite is anything that latches onto you or your partner and sucks the life out of your marriage. They’re usually in the form of addictions, like gambling, drugs, or pornography. They promise pleasure but grow like a disease and consume more and more of your thoughts, time, and money. They steal away your loyalty and heart from those you love. Marriages rarely survive if parasites are present. If you love your spouse, you must destroy any addiction that has your heart. If you don’t, it will destroy you.

The Bible speaks plainly about this protective role, often using the analogy of a shepherd. God warned, “My flock has become prey … food for all the beasts of the field.” How so? “For lack of a shepherd.” Not because these men were too weak to perform their duties but because they didn’t pay attention. Instead of watching to make sure that the sheep weren’t being picked off by predators, “the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock” (Ezekial 34:8). They took extra good care of their own needs and appetites but gave little thought to the safety of those under their supervision.

Wives – you have a role as protector in your marriage. You must guard your heart from being led away through novels, magazines, and other forms of entertainment that blur your perception of reality and put unfair expectations on your husband. Instead you must do your part in helping him feel strong, while also avoiding talk-show thinking that can lure your attention away from your family. “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands” (Proverbs 14:1).

Men – you are the head of your home. You are the one responsible before God for guarding the gate and standing your ground against anything that would threaten your wife or marriage. This is no small assignment. It requires a heart of courage and a head for preemptive action. Jesus said, “If the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into” (Matthew 24:43). This role is yours. Take it seriously.

TODAY'S DARE

REMOVE ANYTHING THAT IS HINDERING YOUR RELATIONSHIP, ANY ADDICTION OR INFLUENCE THAT'S STEALING YOUR AFFECTIONS AND TURNING YOUR HEART AWAY FROM YOUR SPOUSE.

In your Love Dare Journal (or a notebook)

What did you throw out first? Are there others that need to go as well? What do you hope the removal of these things will do for you, your marriage, and your relationship with God?

You will be restored if you remove unrighteousness far from your tent. (Job 22:23).