Thankful for Stew

Sticking with the 'week of Thanksgiving' theme, I feel the need to write a thankful post about my husband. He is my best friend and brings me so much joy. Ever since I was a little girl I always dreamed of being married. In my dreams, I never could have dreamt up such a man as he. He exceeds my every expectation of marriage, of a mate, of a best friend. It's true as in every marriage that not every day is easy and there are disagreements and arguments. However, one of the things I feel most blessed about is the fact that we can always work through them. We don't sit and let things fester, we sit and talk things out. Anyway, I'm sure I could go on and on because I'm a hopeless romantic and love to gab about mushy things. But, the reason for this post is to express my thankfulness for a husband who is in the Word daily and seeking to grow and live for Him! A few days ago I was chatting with him about my fears regarding this pregnancy and my frustration that this baby just has not come out yet. I mentioned that I had given everything to the Lord and knew He was in control. So he commented back to me 'Have you really given it all to Him?' So of course, defensive me, was outraged because I just said that I had and knew that I had. But had I? It's been on my mind since he mentioned it, so last night I was researching some things about labor and stumbled upon a site with devotionals for pregnancy. Most of them were all about trusting the Lord and giving the pregnancy to Him. And it hit me last night laying in bed, I really hadn't given it ALL to Him. Every time I gain a new piece of information about this baby/pregnancy I jump right into worrying and making my own time table on how things should go. Did I really think that this new information surprised the Lord? Things surprise me, but God already knew that the baby was going to measure big, he already knew that I would be in prelabor for eons, he knows the desires of my heart, and he knows this baby more than I could ever know. So why is it that every time the doctors tell me something new do I get all upset and start figuring out in my head how things need to go for a successful outcome. Like I have any control over the situation!? I knew that God was in control, but I was not relaxing and allowing Him to take control!

Jeremiah 29:11 ~ "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Psalms 22:9 ~ "Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother's breasts."

Psalms 139:13 ~ "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb."

So, today I am thankful for the Lord working in my husband's life and using him to encourage my spiritual growth. What a blessing! I am also thankful for the Lord being in control of this pregnancy/baby and not me, or the doctors! What an awesome God we serve. :-)

Honor Your Husband Challenge

Christine, who is hosting the honor your husband challenge, wrote this today:

"A couple of weeks ago while leading a book study at church on a Sunday morning a friend expressed the surprise and disappointment she felt the first time her marriage came to a valley. We discussed how in tough times we can actually feel strong dislike, even hatred, toward the one we have chosen to love above all others. How can this be?, we all wondered. We continued our conversation and agreed that it is only beyond those valleys that the mountaintops of marriage really mean something. We can pursue deeper meaning and spiritual and emotional connection with our husbands when we have weathered a storm (or two or twenty). The natural ups and downs of marriage can be opportunities, if we choose to see them as such, for growth toward our spouse and toward our Father."

It's always been astonishing to me how low the valley's of marriage can go and how deep the hurt can be. One minute you're on cloud nine with the most amazing person you have ever met, and the next your drowning in a Kleenex box wondering where you went wrong. I definitely did not expect the low, low valleys. Marriage always seemed like a fairy tale to me growing up, and the prince never hurts the princess in fairy tales right? I soon found out early on that my perfect "vision" of marriage was wrong. I knew marriage would take work, but seriously, ugh. I never envisioned how much! lol And of course, it's worth it. The peaks are better than anything in this world and after a storm is weathered we seem to grow closer together, and I always learn a little bit more about my heavenly father. I'm still figuring things out as I go, and still fear the dreaded valley. I'd like to stay on the mountain tops. Sometimes I wish men and women communicated better, and sometimes I wish my husband just magically knew how to love me every moment of every day. But then I know that God made us different for his own reasons and so I try to learn from the valleys when they arrive. One thing I have learned is that the more I pray for him and our marriage, the more I find fault in myself and things I need to do differently. So I'm thankful for challenges such as this that keep me vigilant in focusing on my husband's needs instead of mine. It's been a great month, a big thanks to Christine for hosting this challenge, and I look forward to linking up for the next one!

Honor Your Husband Challenge

Well today is our last day in Michigan. We're over in Port Huron visiting the Dunsmore side of the family. It's been a great vacation and a stressful one too, but much needed time with family. We have much to be thankful for and we're going to miss the family we are leaving out here. So, we have relatives coming over any minute, but I managed to pull myself away for a few short moments for some quiet time and blogging.

I have to say that I am very thankful that I did the 30 day husband encouragement challenge before this challenge. I learned SO much during that challenge that, and then went right into this one. I'm finding that piggy backing the two challenges has really boosted my confidence and happiness. The 30 day challenge was indeed challenging. I found a lot of things that I did not like about myself and how I was interacting with my husband. In this challenge I'm finding that I have a little more confidence, I have a game plan and it's nice to watch our family life change to the positive. Now I know this is probably a calm before the next storm life brings and I'll have to re-learn more life lessons. But, I feel so blessed to be in this calm, to be soaking up so much information, and to be able to watch our family grow. So, I think I'm doing fairly well with my goals. I'm half way through the Power of a Praying Wife. My nagging will be a constant struggle, but I feel like I'm able to control my tongue much more than just a month ago. Any progress is good progress! So for this week I will continue with my goals, my life long goals!, and I'll be adding the goals I set for myself after the 30 Day challenge was over. I remember making the goals, and reading through my blog today I noticed that after making them I haven't looked back over them to follow through. So, I'll be posting some pictures of our vacation when we get home, and also we find out the sex of our baby on Thursday so look for that news to!

Honor your husband challenge

Yeah!, I have Internet access out here in MI! I won't be posting that often, but it'll be nice to still keep up with my reading/posting so as not to fall into a slump. Today marks week three of the honor your husband challenge. Saturday was my last day of the 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge, so it's nice to be continuing on with another challenge to help me maintain my focus. I have to say I feel much better about this week than the last. Last week I was feeling beaten down, worn, unappreciated, frustrated, fatigued, confused, you name it I felt it. I found that when I read other's comments on the challenge that I wasn't alone in my fatigue. It's interesting how most of us do really well at first and then fall into a slump. I'm thinking Satan has got a big hand in all of that. I'm sure he must just hate women getting together honoring and respecting their husbands because he knows there is no better thing for a marriage. Well, I am smiling typing this because I know we must be ticking him off and even though he might throw every arrow he's got at us, we've got the victory. It is so encouraging to be on this blog and to read other's stories. To find women just like me who are going through the same emotions and striving to be the best they can be. I've never felt so encouraged and so blessed by something that happens on my computer!! So, this week I feel really good. I feel like I have a plan of action, I have some verses to help encourage me, I have things in place to keep me accountable, and I am armed with prayer to help control my tongue. So you know that probably means I'm in for a battle up ahead, but for the first time I feel ready for it. I'm starting to feel more equipped to handle my emotions and to handle rough spots in our marriage. So I have to say that today I am very thankful. Thankful for my husband, thankful for this "blogging world", and thankful for my God who never leaves me and is always patient with me. I am going to continue with my goals this week from last week and the week before, putting special focus on finishing The Power of a Praying Wife. I started it last week and LOVE it. What a great tool for praying for our husbands!

Just a quick side note:
~We made it to MI safely!
~My good friends Amber and Daniel just welcomed their first son, John, into the world today! YEA!

Husband Encouragement Challenge: Day 30

Well today is the last day of the husband encouragement challenge. I've had some time to reflect on the last thirty days and how it has affected me and my marriage. First of all, I've definitely been blessed to be a part of this challenge. What I realized reading through the challenges every day was that the truths in the statements weren't all that unfamiliar to me, but to put them into action was another story. It was great to have something hold me accountable to being an encouragement to my husband. It was also great to have a support network of other women going through the challenge with me. I definitely learned a lot about myself and my actions. As I said in earlier posts, I think the biggest thing I learned was the power and importance of prayer. I tend to depend a lot on myself to fix problems or to get things accomplished. I've learned that I CAN NOT do all that is required of me alone. When I am feeling overwhelmed emotionally or physically, I just need to give it to God and keep going. I've also learned that starting off my day with prayer is crucial, and to not just stop there. I need to pray all day long, even about the small things. Towards the end of the challenge I started to get overwhelmed with all that is asked of me as a woman/wife/mom. I started to feel selfish and started saying (in my head) "Where's my encouragement, where's my special services, why isn't my husband challenging himself to a love your wife thing, etc.". It certainly had me going for a few days and I was feeling very neglected and like I was giving, giving, giving and getting nothing. And wow did I need an attitude check or what? And of course, what was missing out of those two days when I felt rotten? I had forgotten to open my bible those mornings and pray. DOH! The devotion I read the other morning talked about how God is the shepherd and we are his sheep. This woman spoke about how comforting it is to know that God expects us, expects her, expects me, to be like sheep and to fail over and over again. What a comforting thought! On days like the one I just mentioned, I certainly feel like a sheep and I am so thankful that my God is the gentle shepherd. So, I've come away with a lot from this challenge and I'm sad that it's at an end. Thankfully, our host Sarah, left us some homework to continue this challenge after today.

~Write a list of 10 specific goals you want to keep working on:
1. Read my bible and pray EVERY morning. Pray for Stewart using this article Praying for Your Husband: 31 Days of Prayer (Thanks Sarah....I LOVE this guideline!)
2. Think of one thing every day to praise/encourage Stewart about and voice it to him.
3. To read through The Power of a Praying Wife, and then Becoming a Woman of Prayer.
4. Continue to work on organization skills. Specifically by reading 30 minutes a week of a blog, article, or book and putting new skills into action. (Keeping an organized schedule and home blesses my husband because he needs "a list" to function)
5. Think before I speak, take time to process my thoughts before speaking, and pray instead of speaking up when I don't need to.
6. Do something special for Stewart every week.
7. Plan a date night every other week.
8. Maintain a positive attitude every day no matter what.
9. Write out a list of what I am thankful for every week.
10. Watch my tone when I speak!

~Pick 5 favorite bible passages that strengthen you in your role as a wife.
2 Corinthians 4:18 - "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Proverbs 12:4 - "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones."
Proverbs 27: 15 - "A nagging wife is as annoying as the constant dripping on a rainy day." (NLT)
Ephesians 5:22 - "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."
Philippians 4:6-8 - "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God , which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I will be holding myself accountable to these things by blogging. I am also going to join Thankful Thursdays hosted by Iris at Sting My Heart. I am going to be getting together once a month with an older woman for encouragement and accountability. Lastly, I am going to finish the 30 Day Honor your Husband challenge hosted by Christine at Fruit in Season.

Wow, it's been an eventful month and this has definitely been a life changing experience. Thanks to Sarah for hosting this incredible challenge. And thank you to all the women who participated. Reading your comments and viewing your blogs was such an encouragement to me. And thanks to all of you out there who have read my blog and commented to me throughout this challenge. It was nice to know that I had friends out there who were praying for me!

Honor Your Husband Challenge: Week 2

Today is the second week of the Honor Your Husband Challenge! I took some time this afternoon to look back on my goals from last week:

~To listen earnestly when Stewart speaks.
~To take some time to think before speaking.
~To find three things each day to compliment Stewart on and to voice that praise TO him.

Evaluating the past week I can tell I still need to continue working on these goals this week. I think I did pretty well listening to Stewart, and I definitely thought of things to praise Stewart about every day. I'm not sure that I voiced it TO him, so I'll have to work on that. And as for my second goal, I did take time to think about what I was saying, it just seemed to be AFTER the fact. So, I need to work on pausing BEFORE I speak this week.

Christine asked us (if we were bold) ;-) to ask our husbands how we could better honor them this week. I did ask Stewart and this was his response:
I would just say that the single thing that you do that provides the most encouragement is to have a positive outlook about something that we are facing, even when things look tough. When I am faltering, your positive attitude brings me back to my feet and gives me the strength to set back to the task, no matter how difficult it is. The more positive your outlook is, even when we're struggling, the more strength I have.

So, this week I will continue working on my original goals, and add two new goals.

~To remain positive, no matter what.
~To read The Power of a Praying Wife (Reading a book doesn't seem like it would directly honor my husband, but I'm finding from the Husband Encouragement Challenge that I need to beef up my prayer life to be able to combat negativity and have the energy to remain positive. I think becoming a better prayer warrior will definitely bless my husband.)

If you'd like to join the challenge or if you would like to read what other women are doing to honor their husbands, visit Christine at Fruit in Season.

Husband Encouragement Challenge:Day 25

Today is day 25 of the challenge, but I'd like to start out by commenting on Day23.

Day 23 asked the question : Does the "30-Day Encouragement Challenge" seem like hard work? Or is it becoming a pleasant exercise in genuine Christ-likeness in your home?

I have to say that it still seemed like work for me up until Sunday morning. I was struggling with why the lessons I've been learning weren't sinking in. Yesterday at church Pastor Larry was speaking on John 16. He spoke on how the Holy Spirit guides us and teaches us. One of the things he pointed out was that the Holy Spirit can't teach us what we need to know when we don't have a right relationship with him. He spoke on how without confession on sins, the Holy Spirit is grieved. So I did some self examination and realized that my prayer life is in need of help. I definitely had been praying, but not confessing sins on a daily, multiple times a day, basis. I had been skipping over this VERY important step and just listing my requests and praises to God. No wonder when I was crying out to God for help, my prayers were coming back unanswered. The Holy Spirit hasn't been allowed to respond to me and teach me the things I need to know because of sin looming in my life. What a simple truth. So, I am now moving The Power of a Praying Wife and A Woman's Call to Prayer up to the top of my "to read" list. If there's only one thing I could say that I'm learning through out this challenge, it would be the power of prayer.

Now back to today. Coincidentally today challenges us to confess our sinful habits:
Do you promote an atmosphere of peace, or do critical words often flow from your mouth? Do you struggle with anger? If so, before you continue with your Encouragement Challenge, confess these sinful habits to the Lord, and determine to speak words of peace to your family today.

Wow. I would definitely say that the Lord is trying to show me something. I am definitely in for some time on my knees today. As for Stew, he's been great. Last night Emily had an awful night and I tried several times to comfort her. By ten thirty I was at the end of my rope. Stew stepped in, even after a long afternoon at work, and rocked her to sleep. That was another thing. Stew got called into work at one thirty yesterday and didn't complain. He went in until 8pm and got done what needed to be. I really respect and admire his work ethic. He is such a hard worker and is so good at what he does. He manages to move up the ladder of responsibility at work while maintaining his priority at home. I am so blessed.

If you'd like to join the challenge, or see what other's have written, visit In Light of the Truth.

Husband Encouragement Challenge : Day 20

I've been slacking off a little bit lately in writing and in encouraging. I've been pretty exhausted and overwhelmed which has been making it hard to give 100% of me every day. I know I need to regardless of the circumstances, but sometimes I fail and become needy. :-( It's been more like wife encouragement over the last few days at our house. Today I'm aiming to get back on track, deal with some things that have been bothering me, and move on. I'll start by listing some positives about Stew over the last few days:

~Saturday night Stew bathed Emily for me so that I could get some groceries at the store.
~At the softball game on Monday Stew came over to spend time with me and Emily after his shift on the field was done.
~And then he took us out for ice cream.
~Last night Stew chose to spend time with me rather than work out because he knew I needed to talk.
~Over the last few days Stew has offered to take Emily in the morning for me so that I could shower, sleep, etc.

I think a good way to encourage Stewart this week will be to get our weekends organized. Stew enjoys organization and lists and I need to do a better job of organizing our weekends so that he has time for his "to do" list and so we have time to spend as a family. That way all our need will be met and then the work week to follow will flow more smoothly.

Now, back to the challenge. Today's challenge talks about forgiveness. I have to say that I am very thankful that my husband is forgiving. I fumble along a lot of times, let exhaustion get the best of me and he's always very forgiving and doesn't hold onto grudges. I'm so thankful that he doesn't keep a list of my faults. I, on the other hand, need to work on this. When my feelings get hurt I tend to hang on to that and sometimes have a hard time letting go. I'm finding that prayer is essential to combat bitterness because I certainly can't do it by my own strength.

My friend Mary passed this along yesterday and I found it very encouraging:

You messed up yesterday.

But you'll mess up more if you let yesterday's mistakes sabotage today's attitude.

God's mercies are new every morning. Receive them.

- by Max Lucado -

- from Every Day Deserves a Chance -

* Update: Today went very smoothly! I had an awesome day with my family and feel back on track with my challenge and household duties. I spent some time today surfing websites for some ideas and found a FANTASTIC one that provided me with SO much information that I was lacking. I got some wonderful tips on chores and organization. It really revitalized me to get a handle on some cleaning duties that I was having a hard time with. We spent the evening as a family, playing inside with the new kitten, playing outside and taking a walk around the neighborhood. I could tell that we were all relaxed and enjoying our time together, esp. Emily who was running down the street giggling the whole way. It was so heart warming and such a joy for me today!

Husband Encouragement Challenge : Day 17

Today's challenge asks, 'Are you a wise woman, and is your husband a wise man?'. It also asks us if our husband has a vision for our marriage and for our home. I'm not quite sure about a vision for our home, and I haven't had a chance to sit down with Stew and have a heart to heart chat, but I plan to as soon as the opportunity arises. As far as being a wise woman, again I am convicted of my tongue. I am definitely realizing how often I speak and how often times it is without wisdom. So, yesterday while I was reading Sarah's blog, I saw that she had a link to another challenge that is being hosted by Fruit in Season. I have decided to do that as well. It is a weekly challenge that is posted every Monday. She has asked us to make goals for ourselves for each week.

My goals this week are:
~To listen earnestly when Stewart speaks.
~To take some time to think before speaking.
~To find three things each day to compliment Stewart on and to voice that praise TO him.

I am also realizing how important prayer is in our marriage. Reading Christine's challenge today I found this prayer that she had written down:
God of renewal, everywhere your Holy Spirit breathes new life into creation. As I undertake this day to bring glory to you by honoring my husband, I ask you to be present in my marriage. Guide me to know in which things I should ask forgiveness, in which things I should change, and in which things I should ask for the grace to let go. Show me new ways to respect my husband today and open my eyes to all that you have made him to be. I trust in your goodness and in the covenant my husband and I made with you and each other on our wedding day. Through Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.*
I am also going to make it my goal to pray this prayer every day.

*Adapted from a prayer by Jennifer Phillips

Husband Encouragement Challenge : Day 16

Today's challenge was about communication. It asks us to praise our husbands for how they communicate and if they leave room to be desired to be patient with them and to listen when they do speak. As I read the challenge I found myself again listing the positives about Stewart in my head. I'm finding that every day I am able to find positives in each of these characteristics they ask us to encourage our husbands in. I'm feeling very guilty on how my mind set used to be focused on the negative before this challenge. It's so easy to find at least one way that my husband has grown in these areas over the years that I have known him. It's definitely eye opening to me how many things I am finding that I can encourage him on. I had been focusing too much on the negative and getting discouraged at how he was missing the mark of my standard. When I flip the glass, things look pretty good. I'm seeing every day how well he has developed over the years and how blessed I am. I am definitely learning a lot about perspective and how that has been affecting our marriage. There are many things I have to encourage Stewart about and I should be doing that instead of trying to improve him. I am learning that I need to rely on patience and prayer to bring about change, not myself.

Husband Encouragement Challenge: Day 15

Today's challenge is to encourage our husband's in their spiritual growth. It asks us to take a step back and to see how our husband's are growing spiritually. I have to say that I have seen so much spiritual growth in Stewart over the years and especially in the last half year. He deserves a lot of praise for reading his bible daily, picking out a devotional for himself and reading that daily, going to church every week and studying the message earnestly, praying daily, nightly closing our day in prayer together, finding ways to speak about God in our home and to our daughter, applying principles he's learned here at home and also applying them at work so that he might be a light to the many men he comes in contact with every day that have chosen to live in sin. I am so incredibly blessed with the spiritual growth that has occurred in him since we first married. I can't share enough how proud I am of the spiritual leadership role he has taken on in our marriage and home. I am realizing as I write this, that I probably don't voice that enough to him. That's one thing that I have learned about myself in this challenge. Too many times I sound like a nagging voice to him at home and praise him to others. I need to make it a goal to praise him at home so that he knows how loved and respected he truly is.

2 things positive from yesterday:
1. Stew sent me the ad for selling the truck to ask my opinion before he published it. This made me feel valued.
2. Stew played with Emily when he first got home so that I could put Emily's mountainous load of laundry away.

Husband Encouragement Challenge: Day 13

Today's challenge has to do with intimacy in our marriage. SO, since that's personal and not something I'll be sharing about, I'm going to share some positive things about my husband. Sarah, who is heading up this 30 Day Challenge, had some motivation for us today:

Sounds like several of us are kind of on "blah mode" with the challenge the past couple of days. So today I'm going to try help motivate. Audience participation day! I'd like to have some response today, but if you don't get to it, anytime is fine too....
1. Tell us 5 positive things your husband has done already this week. (big or small, anything!)

2. Tell us 1 thing you're going to do for your husband today to tell him that you respect and appreciate him.

1. A. Stewart rinsed out the cornbread bowl which he had licked clean. This may sound small, but it's a HUGE positive. I often have to scrub for EVER to get the sticky residue off of the bowl after he's cleaned it. That quick rinse showed me he was thinking of my needs, woo hoo! (That's right honey, I noticed!)
B. Yesterday I was so tired all day that I didn't get much accomplished. Stewart played with Emily when he got home so that I could cook dinner and clean up.
C. Stewart had a softball game on Monday for the church. I was so exhausted and emotional from the night before that he offered to not play so that I could rest. We did go to the game and have a great time, but the offer was SO sweet.
D. On Monday night he played one of my games on the play station with me so that I could relax. I'm sure he would have preferred to play Madden, but I appreciated him taking the break from his game to share in some fun with me.
E. Last night I was needing some time with my husband after a long day with a no nap toddler. Instead of reading his book, he put it down to be with me.

2. Today I am going to show Stewart I love him by making him pickled beets. His grandmother gave me the recipe and he loves them. We're having salad this week and it'll be a great topper.

30 Day Challenge: Days 10-12

I've been finding it hard to stick to the challenge over the weekend and into this week. It's not that I can't find anything positive to say to my husband, it's more that I don't seem to have time to do it. Emily hasn't been sleeping well and I've been getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night for the past few nights. I still can't seem to figure out what is bothering her and why she is crying/whining so much, which has really frustrated me. It's tough to comfort a crying child who simply won't listen to reason. The whole point is that I'm in a really tough area with my daughter. This age to me is the most challenging. I feel unprepared for this stage; the constant energy, constant questions, constant correction, temper tantrums, defiance, etc. Where did my sweet smiling little baby go!? I've really been letting my attitude sink into bitterness and I know that I shouldn't. I have felt defeated, overwhelmed, and drained. Well, today while I was on-line I went to a link called Praying for Heather. What I found there was a story of a mother, who has a brain tumor and is undergoing chemotherapy (with 3 children at home). From her page was a link to read a story about her daughter, Emma Grace. I read it, heart broken for this woman and the pain she had to endure, and suddenly I realized my attitude had to change. I encourage you to check out her website and read her story: http://www.especiallyheather.com/emma/
This woman's attitude through all of what she is going through is astonishing! She closes the story about her fight with cancer with this verse:

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
~2 Corinthians 12:8-10~

I'm not quite sure what to write about what I have taken away from her story. All I know is that it impacted me dramatically and I'm so thankful for this woman and her willingness to share her struggles. I am ashamed to have been so bitter, frustrated, and negative over things that are so incredibly small. I truly have been blessed, and have no reason to let my emotions darken my days. Life is short and I am convinced that there is no place for negativity in any of the days that God has chosen to give me. So today, I am humbled by this woman's spirit, and praying that I gain that same perspective in life.

30 Day Challenge Day 9

Today's challenge was about listening to your husband.

Here is an excerpt from the challenge:

As you continue in your 30-day challenge, not speaking negatively and focusing on positive encouragement, hear the Lord's admonition today: "Be swift to hear." If listening is a real problem for you, play a game with yourself. See if you can listen to your husband for one whole day, only speaking when asked a question. If your husband notices the difference, explain that you are learning to listen more-not only to God, but also to him.

Today's challenge was a good challenge for me. In our bible study on Tuesday night's we are watching a video series by Emerson Eggerich about how to motivate our spouses. Last Tuesday the video spoke about how husbands are energized by their wives just being there shoulder to shoulder saying nothing. Today's challenge was a good review on how important it is to be a silent encourager. Unfortunately today I was not so great about not speaking negatively to him. This morning we had a small tiff, and I said some negative things that didn't need to be expressed in anger the way they were. Fortunately the "tiff" only lasted about 15 minutes and we both apologized, but for the rest of the day I felt as though my positive thoughts that I had had for my husband were being attacked and turned into negative. Then I remembered a verse in the bible about Satan and how he seeks to destroy:

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

I lost self-controll this morning and Satan was there ready to pounce! I find it sobering how swiftly Satan works when he finds even one small glitch in the system. I know that he would love nothing less than to destroy my marriage, and on days like today it makes me realize how much prayer is needed to be able to fight against the devil.

Anyway, we were able to have a fun day together after apologies were made. Stew even took Emily for me this morning so I could get some shopping done! Horray! I am so blessed to have him as my help mate. We also looked at a vehicle that we believe we will be purchasing on Monday. So, stayed tuned and maybe Monday night I'll have a good news post with a picture of the new purchase.

Day 8 : Husband Encouragement Challenge

Today's challenge was about appreciating a faithful husband. Here is an excerpt from the challenge:
Faithfulness is a wonderful but rare quality today, especially in regard to marriage. Do you understand how important this quality is? Your challenge is to continue to root out all negative speaking, and plant seeds of encouragement instead. You may be amazed at what will grow.Contemporary culture often entices men to be unfaithful to their wedding vows and spiritual commitments. Appreciate your husband's faithfulness—how he is loyal to you. Let him know that you are glad he has "stick-to-it-iveness" in your marriage.

I have to say that I am extremely grateful that I have a husband who understands the importance of faithfulness and the vows that we took at the altar. He understands that marriage takes work and is extremely dedicated to me and our family. One of the things I appreciate the most is that he is faithful to me in devoting his time to our family. He could choose to use all of his time for himself, but he is faithful to see the needs of our family and gives of his time for our needs.

30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge

Over the last few days I have been participating in a 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge. I am going to start posting my accomplishments, struggles, experiences, etc. through this challenge daily here on my blog. Today we are on Day 7 (I'm just three days in....started a few days late). The challenge for today had to do with finances: Money is the root of much marital discord. Ask yourself, "Am I being negative toward my husband in the area of finances?" Determine not to speak evil of your husband in this area. Discover ways to encourage and help him instead.

Stewart and I are very different in how we handle money. Stewart doesn't like to spend money. He enjoys saving and when we get to a point where we need to purchase something, he likes to be very informed before doing so. This sometimes can lead to good purchases slipping away and procrastination. I enjoy spending money. I enjoy shopping, I enjoy decorating, I enjoy having nice things. I often impulse buy without having all the facts. This can lead to overspending and unnessecary purchases. I know that the same things that drive me crazy about Stewart's process to buy things, keep me from wasting all of our money and buying unnecessary things. I need to make sure that I encourage him and respect his final decision with our finances.

Day 6 was about encouraging your husband's creativity. I did so by asking him if he would like to design and build a toy box for our daughter, Emily. I know that he has wanted to increase his skill (i.e. learn) carpentry since that is something that both his grandfather and father could do very well. In the past I may have projected my own desires onto projects and not encouraged him when the finished product didn't come out as I expected. I was convicted of this and hope to leave my "visions" for his projects at the door next time.

Day 5 was about: Do you edify your husband before others, adding to his value in their eyes? This is especially important to other family members.

I realized that while I try not to say anything negative about Stewart to my friends and family, his family still might not know how important he is to me. His mom lives in MI and we rarely have time for a heart to heart chat. So, I decided to write her a letter letting her know how much I appreciate her son and what a great man I think he is.

Well, those were the last three eventful days. I am really enjoying this challenge and finding out things about myself and my marriage that I wouldn't have realized otherwise. If you would like to join this challenge it's not too late. Go to In Light of the Truth and hop on board.