A Day At The Beach

The last time my husband was home we spent a day in Galveston, TX. It was cold and foggy, but such an awesomely memorable day! We spent some time at the Train Museum studying the before and after Hurricane Ike photographs. What an amazing amount of devastation. Unfortunately much of the museum still has not re-opened, but what we were able to tour was fun. 

We went off to explore the engines of the trains.

I enjoyed watching my husband pull every lever, flip every switch and push every button. 

He was so much fun to watch as he mused 

and wondered what each one did or used to do. 

I loved to see his excitement and watch his eyes light up. 

His 'boyish' wonder and curiosity brought such joy to my heart. <3

We took our time exploring the train cars too. 

We even pushed the boundaries of our adventurous spirits.

We peaked into an area of a car that was 'off limits'.

For me - this is living on the edge!

                  

               There were 'Ghosts of Riders Past' all over.
                  We had a little fun playing with them. = )                      I love my husband's fantastic sense of humor!


Then we went to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch.
               Fun atmosphere and most excellent company!    
This time when he came home we spent the day beach-combing in Matagorda, TX. I love the beach - even more than that...I love spending the day at the beach with my husband. Actually, I just love spending time the man of my dreams!

Love Never Fails

Love never fails. 

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; 

where there are tongues, they will be stilled; 

where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

I Corinthians 13:8

Love never fails. What? Why? I have been asking myself this question. Why? Today's world says love fails all the time. Just look at the divorce rate here in America. How can the Bible say love doesn't fail? I don't think it's talking about our human flawed way of thinking about love. It's God's love.   

'For God so loved the world He sent His one and only Son...' John 3:16   

'While we were still sinners Christ died for us.' Romans 5:8 

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this and meditating on this. God sent His only Son to die for us...because He loves us. Jesus willingly gave Himself to die a cruel death on the cross...because He loves us. Not because we deserve it, not because we have earned it not even because we asked for it. Simply out of a love for us.

This is where I have been really burdened. I know this post is long, but stay with me. Love never failing has been weighing heavily on my heart. I have several thoughts I would like to share.

Once we have accepted God's love through salvation, he expects us to share that love with others. It is repeated over and over in scripture. But more importantly we are to love our marriage partner with God's kind of love. Especially husbands; God commands husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Husbands are to love their wives like their own bodies. You are to make sure her needs are met. Yes, that means you will have to spend time with her and get to know her. You are to love her as you love yourself. (Ephesians 5:25-33) As a woman, a wife, I can say your wife will likely respond to you by reflecting back more love than you've invested into her. Why not invest everything you have? The reward will far outweigh the cost.

In doing this you also present a beautiful picture of Christ and the church to a lost world. What a great testimony that would be! How many marriages might be saved if one who was in trouble knew they had someone to turn to for Godly advice? If every husband took this responsibility seriously and loved his own wife with God's love the divorce rate truly would be negligible.

It is interesting that wives aren't specifically called to 'love' their husbands. I believe it is a given. Her automatic response to his love will be to love in return. However it's interesting that husbands are commanded to do so, but not the wives.

Wives don't get off so easy though. We are commanded to submit. 'Wives submit to your husbands as to Lord. The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church...' Ephesians 5:22-24  I know the world takes and ugly view of that word 'submit', but God's dictionary defines it slightly differently than modern society. It is not a blind and utter obedience. It is simply a voluntary response to his love to us!

Order needs to be established in the home as it does anywhere. The husband is the head of the wife like Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. It is a love relationship. I know it can be difficult sometimes trusting your husband has your best interest in mind and is making wise choices for your family. But if you are following the leading of the Lord and trusting in Him he will direct your paths. It is difficult sometimes when husband and wife don't agree on a decision, believe me. My husband I have had our share of disagreements and are still working on this issue. I am still learning to be the wife I should be. But the ultimate responsibility for the family is his in God's eyes. I pray for him to make wise choices. I pray for God's leading in his life and I trust God to take care of His part.

Just as important as submitting is respect. 'and the wife must respect her husband.' Ephesians 5:33  I think this is very important. It is also an area I have missed the mark in the past. I might have 'given in' to my husband and called it submission to make myself feel better. But I realized if I was doing something begrudgingly it showed contempt or disrespect rather than the respect my husband needs and deserves. I know that respect is important to a man. I want my husband to know I respect him. He should not need to look to someone else for that affirmation.

God created me uniquely and solely to be his helper. It is my honor and privilege to show him respect. Not just in private at home, but publicly. I do not gossip about him, speak badly of him or tear him down. I make a conscious effort to say positive things, especially when other women put their husbands down. He might not ever know, but God will know when I have honored my husband. He will have respect publicly from me. I am not ashamed to say the girls I work with are jealous of me. My husband isn't perfect, but he's mine. I love him.

Now, concerning the rest of the verse today...   Prophecies fail, tongues fail and even knowledge fails. Once a prophecy predicted comes true it is no longer a prophecy but the past. It is now history. Words spoken and interpreted no longer have a need for tongues. When the knowledge I need for today is greater than the knowledge I learned yesterday, then that knowledge has failed me. And let's face it, as quickly as technology progresses, what I have learned at breakfast has become obsolete by lunch!

The only thing that never fails is God's eternal love. Fortunately he shares that love with us so we can in turn share it with others. Why not start with your marriage partner?

Love Always - Our Story

"It (Love) always protects, 

always trusts, 

always hopes, 

always perseveres."

I Corinthians 13:7

Love always protects. I did not protect my husband. His work was taking him away from home for long periods of time and I resented that. When he was home I didn't feel like he was giving me the attention I needed. There came a point when I assumed he didn't love me anymore. I stopped purposefully reaching out to him; stopped going out of my way trying to get his attention. He assumed I resented him. He couldn't make me happy so he pulled away from me. Long story short, it left a door open for the devil.

A little over two years ago an ex-girlfriend sent him a friend request on Facebook. He accepted that request and a short time later they began an online affair. Fortunately it never became physical. However, the emotional scars of that incident are very deep and very painful.

We did not protect ourselves. We did not protect each other.

We did learn how much we love each other and are committed to each other. We are on our guard now. What ever it takes to protect ourselves and each other not to let anything like that happen again. 

Love always trusts. Obviously trust is an issue in our relationship. We work hard at rebuilding trust. I try not to question everything. However, if I do have a question or concern he is so good about being understanding and patient with me. I have also learned that my trust isn't truly in him. I have put my trust in Jesus Christ. I know my husband is trying and he is sweet and wonderful. But I also know he isn't perfect.

I am also making sure to do everything I can not to to give him any reason to mistrust me. Fortunately it wasn't me, but it could have been. It could be any one of us at any time. The devil looks for us when and where we are weakest and takes advantage of that.

Love always hopes. I have learned to keep my chin up! Not too much to say about that. I have found a new sense of hope for my marriage and for our future. It is amazing how much optimism love brings to a pessimistic world.

Love always perseveres. This is probably my favorite part of this verse. When I found out about my husband's relationship with this other woman of course I confronted him about it. He was literally one day away from leaving. Plane ticket in hand and everything. He was hoping to make it physical and I was interfering with his plans. He was not happy. I think he might have even hated me at that moment. For whatever reason he did not leave that day. Nor the next. To say it was tense in our house might be understating things a bit. I prayed for him, but I don't think he had prayed for a long time.

I don't want to take any credit for what happened during that time. It was not my love, but the Love of God that persevered and won him back. In a surprisingly short period of time. About ten days after the whole ordeal began (for me) he came to me apologizing. We prayed together and have been praying together ever since.

We are determined to persevere. The only way we can make that happen is through the Love of God. We are imperfect people. However, we can love through each other's imperfections by showing the Love of Christ to one another and seeing the Love of Christ in one another. Love always perseveres.

Delighting in Evil

"Love does not delight in evil 

but rejoices with the truth."

 I Corinthians 13:6

When I mull this verse over it seems to me the context I have heard it preached on has predominately been about gossiping. Does it make me feel good to hear something bad about someone else? Does it matter if it's true or not? When we hear something juicy isn't our first reaction to want to share it?

If I am truly filled with the Love of God then I should be saddened to hear if something bad happens to someone. Even if that person is my 'enemy'.

Keeping in context with the rest of I Corinthians 13 it doesn't matter if someone is my family, friend, stranger or despised enemy. Love is the one constant, the most excellent way for us as Christians to share the gospel with a lost and dying world.

I will admit it has been difficult for me at times in the past to fight the urge to think, "She had that coming!" or "It's about time he answered for that!" I have a sinful nature I have to fight. However, every day I learn more and more how important it is for me to pray for God to diminish that part of me that delights in evil. I pray I will rejoice in truth. I desire my life to reflect the Love of Christ. I want others to see Him in me and want to know Him too!

The Best Friday

Today was such an awesome day. My husband just got home two days ago. I have had to work all day the last two days. Today my husband left a card in my truck for me to find on my way to work. How romantic is that? It was such a nice surprise. What a great way to start off my day. 

Then he brought me lunch. He cooked me steak and asparagus with mushrooms. It is always great to spend my lunch break with my husband. It is a nice pick-me-up for me. It helps to make the rest of my day at work seem so much better. And somehow, as crazy as it seems the time feels like it goes by quicker. 

To top my day off, when I got home from work my sweet and wonderful husband already had dinner in the works. I don't know how I got by without him while he was gone! 

 This has been the best Friday! 

How My Morning Started

I saw the sweetest thing this morning. The sweetest thing I have seen in a long time. I had to get up at an ungodly hour for work. Before I left I noticed my husband was lying on my pillow...on my side of the bed. He never sleeps on my side of the bed.


He might borrow my pillow if I am not in bed and he is sitting up watching t.v. And...he might roll over that imaginary line onto my side in the middle of the night and sleep close to me. But I don't recall ever, in eighteen years of marriage seeing him sleeping on my side of the bed. Never fully, all the way on my side. When two people are married that long they don't just switch sides!


He just got home last night from being out of town for work for 3 weeks.  I'm telling myself he missed me. It's possible he was so tired last night that when I got out of bed he got a little disoriented by all the open space and ended up on the wrong side...but I'd like to think maybe it was a little bit of missing me that drew him to the emptiness where I used to be.

I love that after all this time he can still amaze me in such a way!

This Is Where I Still Struggle

"It (love) is not rude, 

it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs."

I Corinthians 13:5

I am ashamed to admit I have not always been polite. I can be rude. I do not always look out for the interest of others. I am selfish. I try to hold my tongue, but I admit I have a temper. And boy can I keep track of the things  someone has done to slight me! But the Bible says love is the opposite of all those things.

Fortunately I am not all those things all the time. Prayerfully, I'm not any of them very often. However, one of my greatest desires is to love with the Love of God and to be more consistent in showing that love in my life. This is most difficult for me in regards to my family. They are the people I am the closest to. You would think they would be the easiest to love. However, they are the ones who are the easiest for me to take for granted.

I am so grateful, when I do slip up I can go to my Heavenly Father and He will give me the ability to love with His love. I am also very thankful for forgiveness and second chances. I am not there yet, but every day it is my goal to be more like Christ in love by being polite, seeking what is in the best interest of others, maintaining self control and being genuinely forgiving & not keeping score.