Good Sleepy Time Morning!

This morning had another fabulous start! The kiddos were met with scrambled cheesy eggs, toast, and maple sausage links...followed by me walking them out to the buses and giving them lots of snuggly love this morning to begin their day with. I didn't quite manage to get into my Bible this morning, Blythe decided that he wanted to get up at 4:30 with me, so I didn't have any "quiet" time at all. Darryl came rolling out of the bed at 5, so I just decided to start out my day with getting some things done. So dishes are done, floors are mopped, laundry is done, bed is made...and it's not even 8:30 yet! All I can say is wow!



Listen, God is amazing. I made it through the whole day yesterday without even getting tired. That is some Holy Spirit "caffeine" let me tell you! Never in my wildest of thoughts did I imagine myself doing (and ENJOYING) what I have been able to do the past 2 days!



Another thing, God provides. He knows what my morning has been like already, so he's provided me with some thoughts to ponder throughout my day. This morning I've received a random email from somewhere that I suppose I've signed up for somewhere. It goes with my thinking this morning.



I really feel like there should be more focus on the home and family. Mark 3:25 reads "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." Okay, so here I could put in ALOT of scripture that really speaks to having a whole house, one that is spiritually and emotionally and physically stable, but I'm not going to do that this morning. Most of us are familiar with those, so here I am just going to put my thoughts out there and let you mule over them.

1. I firmly believe that you cannot have a fully functioning house if the husband and wife do not have a correct relationship. The Godly order of things should be: God, husband, wife, children - in that order. Now, if you are like me, you were raised that your children come first, nothing comes over your children. While that is true to a degree, I don't believe that needs to be the basis of your family life. While yes, it is our job to protect our children from the varying degrees of abuse that is out there - including abuse from the spouse - it is important to instill love for God in your children and respect for your spouse (providing there is not a dangerous situation in the home). Your children will mimic the relationship you have with your spouse in their spouses. If that is not frightening enough, get this one - your children will gain their view of God from their feelings about their own father. If dad is aloof and unforgiving, then they will see God in that way unless they are taught differently! And if you are the husband, well how you treat your wife will show your sons how to value women and your daughters what their worth is. If you are the wife, your example will show your sons either compassion or coldness and teach your daughter what it really means to be a woman....talk about a responsibility! But notice, their spiritual examples come directly from your married partnership. Here are some things to think about:

a.) As a married couple, shoot for the maximum in making each other happy instead of just going through the motions and doing the basic requirements for your spouse!

-See just how many times a day you can kiss each other. Try substituting the little pecks for passionate kisses in the kitchen that last for 3 minutes or longer.

-Use a timer when making love some times. Set a goal to go for 30, 40 or more minutes. Use the maximum amount of foreplay. (Or more specifically, put more effort forth and really ENJOY your intimacy together!)

-Make love twice as often as you typically do for 4 weeks straight. It will have a dramatic impact on the both of you. Schedule it if necessary to achieve this goal.

-Most couples spend about 5 to 10 minutes in real conversation each day. Aim to devote one or more hours each day to good conversation. That probably means turning off the television.

-Grow the spiritual (and most important) part of your relationship by praying together, worshiping with others and giving to churches/charities as much as you can. This is the area that rewards you most for shooting for the maximum.


Are you uncomfortable? That probably means that you should at least try some of the above! If we all put in even 1/3 of the effort into our marriages as we do other things (playing on the pc, watching tv, fishing, whatever your vice is), we would be amazed at the results.

Remember, God gave us the partner we have for a reason, and they should be a pivotal part of our happiness!