Time to Laugh Together

  Do you ever wish you and your spouse were closer?  What about you and your children?  Sometimes, life gets so hectic with jobs, responsibilities, and stress that we forget to make and take the time to enjoy time together.

When is the last time you called your child up on your lap to read him a story?  What about the last time you took in a baseball game with your spouse, or went bowling with your wife?  There are so many wonderful and inexpensive ways to "touch-base" each day and each week with each other!

Take time to enjoy sharing life together!  Even a ten minute game of Yahtzee can build intimacy, or watching old cartoon episodes together can make you share in laughter and connection.

What do you think is enjoyable?  What does your spouse think is fun?  What do your children beg you to do with them?

Some ideas: 

Take a walk and hunt for animal tracks, pinecones, various leaf varieties, or flower types.

Go to a candy store and stock up on your favorites from childhood together.

Make homemade goop or play-doh and form it into letters to spell out something sweet or silly.

Get a book of silly jokes from the library and read them to each other.

Make "bucket lists" and share your thoughts with each other on the items you each want to do before you die.

Splurge on ice-cream with various sundae toppings, and have a "make-your-own sundae" time before popping in a Netflix movie you've all been wanting to see.

The possibilities are practically endless, but your joy and intimacy will continue to grow!

Have fun!

Words of Healing

Proverbs 12:18
Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

Have you ever just basked in the warm and beautiful feeling of kind words being spoken to/of you?

It feels a whole lot better than sarcasm, rudeness, and thoughtlessness, doesn't it?  

These words of the wise that bring healing are gifts from our Heavenly Father.  He never wanted us to be cut down by others.  He never wants us to be hurt. 

The problem is that free will thing again; free will in a fallen world.  Sometimes good, and sometimes awfully distasteful, huh?

While I can't promise that you will never be hurt again by the carelessness of someone else, I can promise that God has better thoughts toward and about you than anyone trying to tear you down, and this includes yourself!  God thinks you are a beautiful creation, and He wants you to know it, too!

Just as kind words, wise words, appropriately timed words, and Godly words bring healing in our lives, we can bring healing and speak encouragment and edification into the lives of others. 

We have the power to impact our husbands, wives, children, co-workers, friends, relatives, and even complete strangers with our words. 

Don't forget the power of the tongue, or the power of the Lord to overcome it when it is used inappropriately.  Be the change you wish to see :-)!

Kind to the Battle-weary

"Be Kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle," Plato? Philo? Anonymous?

While this quote is not always attributed to the same person, and I can't be sure who originally said it, I do find the sentiment to be very wise, indeed.

Take that person speeding in their car behind you, for instance.  Are they acting like a jerk?  Or, are they doing their best to get to a hospital to say their final goodbyes to their dying friend?

The surly grocery store checker.  Is she just a nasty old bitty?  Or, did her husband just run off with a lady from his office? 

What about that nice person who lets you go in front of them in the check-out line?  Is their life going along splendidly?  Or, did their child just pass away from a rare illness, and they want to leave the world a little better than they found it?

We can never know what struggles are lurking behind the masks that people wear.  Some masks are intentional, and others aren't.  However, that could be fodder for a slew of other post topics.  The point for today is that whatever is coming across on the outside of a person may or may not be accurate as to what he or she is feeling on the inside.

The same concept of looking beyond the action to the heart of the person is a good one for marriage and parenting relationships, too.  Is a rude spouse merely having a bad day, trying to retaliate for a perceived but undiscussed slight, or completely oblivious to how he or she is coming across.  Is a spiteful teenager just mean, or is he or she angry that mom and dad got divorced and does not know how to deal with the world falling apart?

May the above quote remind us that we might be kind to consider the actions of others from differing vantage points, so that we can appropriately respond, encourage, and build up each other rather than taking it all personally and then taking it out on other people.  It is always better to give, and get, the benefit of the doubt.

Can We Be Honest?

Every now and again, I am reminded that honesty is not an inherent quality in a human being.  While I certainly strive to be a person of honesty and integrity, and I am sure that there are many, many in this world who also strive for this for themselves, there are times when I come across someone lying, and it just baffles me. 

The Bible tells us to let our "yes" be "yes," and our "no" be "no" and to think on what is "true."  I find that it should be fairly simple to decern what is truth and what is false hood, as these concepts are pretty self-explanatory.  However, I've noticed that humans often have trouble with such "easy" concepts. 

A few examples:

1) Husband asks a sulking wife, "What's wrong."  To answer, the wife says, "Nothing."    Hmmm.

Then, the wife wonders why the husband doesn't "get" her.

2) A parent tries to sneak his/her child into an event at the ticket rate only allowed for a child a year younger.  The parent is then clueless as to why it is difficult to teach the child to be honest.  Hmmm, again.

3) A girl is angry that her boyfriend doesn't trust her when she goes out with other friends.  Her way around it?  She lets him believe that she is still at home when he calls her, even though she isn't.  Wow, way to gain a reputation for integrity, right?

At some point, each of us needs to take a look at what we say we believe in, such as the concept of honesty, and we need to examine if our actions truly demonstrate the character we want to emulate for our children, toward our spouses, and within ourselves.  

Do you want to be trusted by your husband, respected by your children, and a person of integrity?  Taking some time to see if our actions back-up our words and beliefs is well worth the investment.

When we can be honest with ourselves, we can learn to be honest with and for those we love, too.

More than Conquerors

In Romans, we are told that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. 

However, sometimes, our feelings may tell us a different story.  We may feel more like turning and running away, hiding under the covers, or stopping the world because we want to get off.

Feelings aren't necessarily wrong, but they are certainly not always true or helpful.  What are you facing today that you need to hear God's truth about rather than listening to your feelings?

The book of Phillipians tells us to think on what is true.  So, if we are to think on what is true, and the Word says that we are more than conquerors in Christ, what shall we fear?  What is it that you need to face head on with the truth? 

Choose to get your thoughts focused on God's truths, and your feelings will likely fall into line eventually.  And, if they don't, it still doesn't change God's truth.  With God on your side, you can face your fears.