Life is hard. People make choices. Choices that have very real consequences. There are things that we cannot control. Hearts break. Feelings get hurt. Forgiveness can be a distant reality. People fail. End of story. Right?
Wrong. People fail. And then...well, and then we start over. Fresh. With the same people. And we do it over and over
and over
and over
again.
How much hurt can one person take? What happens if there is no remorse or change? What happens if people fail us and they just.don't.care.
Our worlds crash and crumble and fall down around us. And sometimes we just stand there in disbelief and watch. Sometimes we cry or get angry or bitter. Sometimes we reach out. Sometimes we need help. Sometimes we give help.
But all the time there is God. And when I sit in my place of hopelessness with no words or thoughts. With no way to make right out of the wrong. With no comfort for the broken child or lonely spouse. I know that no matter what or how I hurt or who I hurt for, God does so even more. He hurts for us, because He loves us more. He is the gentle whisper in the lonely night. He is the answer for when I have nothing. He is the strength when I am spent.
And when I sit and lament over the brokenness I see in this world, the marriages I want to fix, the fatherless, the hope I want to bring...I draw near to Him. I am learning that my silent prayer is more powerful than my meager attempt at words.
I am challenged to be thankful. I am challenged to turn my grumblings into praise. I am challenged to show my wonderful, godly, husband just how much I truly love him. I will not take my marriage for granted. I will cherish the moments. I will greet my husband like I'm happy to see him. I will welcome him home because he was missed and because I am thankful he works so hard to provide. I will go out of my way, to help him, to honor his name and to build him up. I will pray for him. I will be realistic in my expectations. I will love him because love is a choice. Most of my posts are about parenting and honestly it's only because I am not a mushy lovey dovey type person. I prefer action movies over love stories. I prefer practical gifts over roses. But this Valentine's Day, friends, I challenge you. I challenge you to go out of your way and love your spouse. I challenge you to change your thought process. I challenge you to give without expectation. For those of you with good marriages, praise God! Be thankful. For those of you struggling in your marriages, praise God! There is still hope. Surrender yourself and your marriage to the Lord. Choose love and pray for each other. I cry for you. For those of you in a messy situation, divorce, separation, single parents, praise God! For He has given you another day of breath. Use it to glorify Him even in these challenging times. It's not easy but He will give strength to those that ask. I pray for my friends in these situations daily. Life is hard and I'm sorry. I ache for you with tears of sadness.
Wrong. People fail. And then...well, and then we start over. Fresh. With the same people. And we do it over and over
and over
and over
again.
How much hurt can one person take? What happens if there is no remorse or change? What happens if people fail us and they just.don't.care.
Our worlds crash and crumble and fall down around us. And sometimes we just stand there in disbelief and watch. Sometimes we cry or get angry or bitter. Sometimes we reach out. Sometimes we need help. Sometimes we give help.
But all the time there is God. And when I sit in my place of hopelessness with no words or thoughts. With no way to make right out of the wrong. With no comfort for the broken child or lonely spouse. I know that no matter what or how I hurt or who I hurt for, God does so even more. He hurts for us, because He loves us more. He is the gentle whisper in the lonely night. He is the answer for when I have nothing. He is the strength when I am spent.
And when I sit and lament over the brokenness I see in this world, the marriages I want to fix, the fatherless, the hope I want to bring...I draw near to Him. I am learning that my silent prayer is more powerful than my meager attempt at words.
I am challenged to be thankful. I am challenged to turn my grumblings into praise. I am challenged to show my wonderful, godly, husband just how much I truly love him. I will not take my marriage for granted. I will cherish the moments. I will greet my husband like I'm happy to see him. I will welcome him home because he was missed and because I am thankful he works so hard to provide. I will go out of my way, to help him, to honor his name and to build him up. I will pray for him. I will be realistic in my expectations. I will love him because love is a choice. Most of my posts are about parenting and honestly it's only because I am not a mushy lovey dovey type person. I prefer action movies over love stories. I prefer practical gifts over roses. But this Valentine's Day, friends, I challenge you. I challenge you to go out of your way and love your spouse. I challenge you to change your thought process. I challenge you to give without expectation. For those of you with good marriages, praise God! Be thankful. For those of you struggling in your marriages, praise God! There is still hope. Surrender yourself and your marriage to the Lord. Choose love and pray for each other. I cry for you. For those of you in a messy situation, divorce, separation, single parents, praise God! For He has given you another day of breath. Use it to glorify Him even in these challenging times. It's not easy but He will give strength to those that ask. I pray for my friends in these situations daily. Life is hard and I'm sorry. I ache for you with tears of sadness.