What is the Point?

That was my question as I rolled out of bed this morning. Ugh, why is life so hard? Why, why, why? The funny thing is that I have always known the answer to these questions, I've just never experienced the question.

So, here we are. Crawling out of bed every morning to start the day. I know some of my friends are going to get upset with me for this next confession, but I will explain myself. Nearly every morning I get up with my husband to make his breakfast, prepare his lunch and send him off with a kiss and a hug. Real "susie home maker", right? Oh, I can feel the heat of anger. Why do I do this? Three reasons are obvious.

1. My mother, bless her!!! @#$%^&! Don't worry, she is truly blessed and she would say the same thing about her own mother. Ugh, if my mother wasn't such a nice person, I wouldn't have to be. I am doing what I have seen my mother do for the past 30 years. With out fail she has served my father by rising in the morning with him and being home in the evening to receive him.

2. My husbands own words. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you get up every morning." "My day goes so much better when I've seen you first thing." As we as wives have the need to be loved, our husbands have the need to be respected. Remember, God never said anything about the husbands earning our respect, just as God told our husbands to love us even when we are unlovable. The point is obedience.

I have seen so many blessings God provided when I obeyed HIS instruction book (the Bible) for HIS Creation (us).

And so, I drag out of bed, telling myself, "I don't have to wake up, I only have to move my feet." With a sleepy smile I pour his coffee and pack his lunch. He has asked me to read the Proverbs to him/us as he eats. Wow, a devotional! I didn't know where to fit time with God into the busy schedule HE has given me. But, here it is in loving my husband. And, it is pretty funny when I mumble the text wrong saying, "blessed are the wrong doers." I get a raised brow from my husband and he asks me, with a wry smile, to read it again. Oops! :)

No, I haven't always or will always honour my husband this way or with the right attitude. It's really hard when I am mad at him. When the babies were little, he would tell me to go back to bed. PRAISE GOD!!! But the time of new babies made us cherish the morning time with each other all the more. I have found that we both miss each other when we don't get that time in the morning.

OK. How long is this post....blah, blah, blah.

In obedience to your Creator (who knows best), find a way in which you can convey honor to your husband and do it. Don't even talk it over with any one to get approval or "no, you don't have to do that." Just trust God to lay some thing on your heart to do for your husband and do it. WARNING: Expect it to be some thing you really don't want to do. AND it has to be done with joy. Remember the point is joyful obedience.

3. In the name of Jesus, our Redeemer and friend, Love HIM by following HIS commands. John 14:15

My First Motorcycle Ride

I am terrified of motorcycles. Not so much of their speed, but more of the pain when we crash. Not that we ever have, did or will. But, I've got it in my head. My husband thanks me for my vote of confidence in his riding abilities.

We have been looking forward to using the motorcycle on a date. I told him I would when he was official with his license. Well, he's official and I am scared. I'll not go back on my word. Last night I asked him for a ride. He had just finished working on the bike and it was all set to go. The baby was down for the night, the kids were watching a movie. Just a quick spin up and down our dirt road. What a perfect night for riding. There was still sun light, the air was warm and slightly humid. Yet, it was refreshing over the hard heat of the day. Could I enjoy the speed (very slow) of the motorcycle whipping up my hair? Only for a short time. My husband decided we would extend this little jaunt to the hard road and one street over that was paved. Yikes! What about the kids? I squealed. "We'll call social services on ourselves when we get back." he replied. (Disclaimer for all who are worried -Our oldest child is quite capable of managing for 10 min.)
As we accelerated on the hard road, I could only hold on tighter, hoping the brakes would work. These are silly fears, and only because I have never experienced a motorcycle in the past. I don't know what it feels like to go fast on one, to know that the brakes work, that the gas can wont blow up just because I am riding. etc. How about arriving at a destination safely? We did get back home safe. That counts.

We had discussed the day before where we would go on our first date. I said "Johnny's", the local bbq 5 miles away. He said some place up in Georgia! We compromised with Starke, 13 miles away, after trying to get me to go to Palatka, 27 miles away. After last nights ride he agreed with "Johnny's."

Over Burdened

How many of you have felt the pressure to earn an income to supplement your husbands? As the eldest in my family or the nature of my personality, I have felt the burden to make ends meet...above and beyond all the things I do to save money.

This past weekend God showed me I was sinning in my anxiety. There is nothing wrong in wanting to earn more or work more. But, there was a whole lot wrong with my worrying about it. My husband also reminded me (renewed to me) his promise to take care of me no matter what. Boy, did that make me feel better. God gave a curse to the man and the woman. How is it as women, we feel the need to take on the man's curse along with our own?

I certainly was trying to bear the burden that was not mine to bear. What a relief to let it go. Praise God for His loving kindness. God forgive me for sinning against you in being anxious. One it should be enough for me to obey you when you said, "Be anxious for nothing." Two, as I read you word, I realize the reason you tell me not to be anxious. You are our Creator and you've got every thing under control. May I always remember, "All things work together for good, to them who love God, the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 AMEN