marriage is a very beautiful thing - very beautiful. i believe it's the most challenging, yet most rewarding relationship two people can enter with one another here on earth. there is so much responsibility required on both sides, yet the reward cannot even accurately be described in words.
in a previous post, i spoke of how it's so important to put the needs of your spouse before your own needs...with the understanding that he/she will be doing the same. when that happens, you no longer have to "worry" about your own wants + needs because, by design, your spouse is taking care of them. of course, there will be times you'll need to communicate your needs to your spouse + vice versa; however, this is truly an awesome method by which to approach marriage between two people that truly love + respect one another.
yesterday, while driving in my car, a particular song came on the radio. i had heard the song many times before, but i never really paid attention to the lyrics. for some reason, this particular time, i took notice.
the song, "lead me" by sanctus real, speaks of a husband's role in the home....
chorus {from a wife/child's point of view}
“lead me with strong hands
stand up when i can't
don't leave me hungry for love
chasing dreams, what about us?
show me you're willing to fight
that i'm still the love of your life
i know we call this our home
but i still feel alone”
and it speaks to his desire to fulfills the needs of his wife + children...
"so Father, give me the strength
to be everything i'm called to be
oh, Father, show me the way
to lead them
won't You lead me?
to lead them with strong hands
to stand up when they can't
don't want to leave them hungry for love,
chasing things that I could give up
i'll show them i'm willing to fight
and give them the best of my life
so we can call this our home
lead me, 'cause i can't do this alone"
i have the utmost respect for the role of a husband in a Christian home...as the head, the lead. of course, the wife has the responsibility of being his 'helpmate'; however, the husband is fully accountable to God for his family.
this song is a beautiful representation of this + would be an awesome prayer for husbands to pray as they strive to be the husbands they are called to be + a gentle reminder to wives of how much is required of our husbands...that it may not be as "easy" as we may think it is...
check the song out below...complete with lyrics so you can sing along in no time!
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
11.20.2010
6.15.2010
i.just.don't.understand.
i'll apologize in advance because i can see that this is going to be an "intense", yet vague blog post - for good reason. i honestly just need a place to "vent"...a lot of times i'm not the best at communicating my feelings verbally, but i have found that writing can be very therapeutic for me. so here it goes...
my family + friends are very important to me.
have you ever been "at odds" with a person + you initially weren't really sure what exactly they were upset at you about? but...in an effort to reconcile the situation, you "put yourself out there" multiple times by initiating conversations to get to the "bottom" of the issue...aaaaaaand every time you talk to the person you leave the conversation thinking, "okay...maybe now we can move on! this could be the start of new beginnings!", buuuuuuut in subsequent interactions you realize the person is still harboring ill-feelings?
well, that's basically where i've found myself over the past year - actually over a year.
my caveat to this is that no one is perfect - no one - so, i do understand that there are things that i probably could have done differently. the basis of the "disagreement" is the fact that i made a decision with someone else that apparently impacted more than just me + the someone else. my issue with this is that my decision was one done out of LOVE, yet i am basically being prosecuted for it. the rest of the "disagreements" stem from the initial one...and it's just been a spiraling, downhill drop from there.
i honestly have gotten to the point where the "why's" of the situation no longer matter to me...i'd rather be able to agree to disagree, if needed, + move on. i really think that it's unhealthy to keep "rehashing" the past + revisiting conversations that have already been "settled"/discussed or to remain upset about something{s} that you're not willing to talk about. i would much rather focus on the future.
is that a selfish thought?!
maybe it is, but i'm somewhat at a loss because i am the only person in this equation that even makes an attempt to address the issues at hand - and i'm not even the one with the issues. i'm the only one that has made any attempts to call/text/visit/etc to discuss the situation. my frustration with everything is increasing as time goes on because i feel like people are looking to me to make things right, but i can't do it alone. i get the "i wish you two would get along/work it out/go back to the way things were" phone calls, but i wonder if the person in question gets the same calls? my husband is always in my ear about praying about the situation {i thank God for him} + forgiving even when my natural mind doesn't want to, but i wonder if anyone is in the other person's ear...
i got my hopes up a few months ago after our last conversation {which i initiated} because they said they wanted to work on rebuilding our relationship, but i've yet to receive any type of communication from the person {with the exception of one voicemail that was to convey information unrelated to the situation}. right or wrong, i told myself i wasn't going to call anymore - i was going to wait until the person reached out to me as the hand that i've repeatedly extended in an effort to reconcile has.grown.weak + it would be nice to know that the person is willing to at least show some effort in rebuilding the relationship.
sooo...what AM i going to do about it?!?
pray! Pray!! PRAY!!!
a facebook friend of mine posted a video about forgiveness a few weeks ago - it is truly my prayer for my relationship with this person as well as others that have been strained as a result.
change my thinking
during one of our church small group meetings at our house, one of our friends put forgiveness in perspective: Jesus died for all of our sins + He doesn't expect us to even "pay Him back". He loves us unconditionally, yet we still as humans continue to fall short. basically...WHO AM I to not forgive someone when Jesus continually forgives me?!? it's definitely a hard concept to grasp with the natural mind, but in my quest to live my life more like Him, it's what i'm striving for....i'll be the first to admit...i'm not there yet, but at least i'm trying...
my family + friends are very important to me.
have you ever been "at odds" with a person + you initially weren't really sure what exactly they were upset at you about? but...in an effort to reconcile the situation, you "put yourself out there" multiple times by initiating conversations to get to the "bottom" of the issue...aaaaaaand every time you talk to the person you leave the conversation thinking, "okay...maybe now we can move on! this could be the start of new beginnings!", buuuuuuut in subsequent interactions you realize the person is still harboring ill-feelings?
well, that's basically where i've found myself over the past year - actually over a year.
my caveat to this is that no one is perfect - no one - so, i do understand that there are things that i probably could have done differently. the basis of the "disagreement" is the fact that i made a decision with someone else that apparently impacted more than just me + the someone else. my issue with this is that my decision was one done out of LOVE, yet i am basically being prosecuted for it. the rest of the "disagreements" stem from the initial one...and it's just been a spiraling, downhill drop from there.
i honestly have gotten to the point where the "why's" of the situation no longer matter to me...i'd rather be able to agree to disagree, if needed, + move on. i really think that it's unhealthy to keep "rehashing" the past + revisiting conversations that have already been "settled"/discussed or to remain upset about something{s} that you're not willing to talk about. i would much rather focus on the future.
is that a selfish thought?!
maybe it is, but i'm somewhat at a loss because i am the only person in this equation that even makes an attempt to address the issues at hand - and i'm not even the one with the issues. i'm the only one that has made any attempts to call/text/visit/etc to discuss the situation. my frustration with everything is increasing as time goes on because i feel like people are looking to me to make things right, but i can't do it alone. i get the "i wish you two would get along/work it out/go back to the way things were" phone calls, but i wonder if the person in question gets the same calls? my husband is always in my ear about praying about the situation {i thank God for him} + forgiving even when my natural mind doesn't want to, but i wonder if anyone is in the other person's ear...
i got my hopes up a few months ago after our last conversation {which i initiated} because they said they wanted to work on rebuilding our relationship, but i've yet to receive any type of communication from the person {with the exception of one voicemail that was to convey information unrelated to the situation}. right or wrong, i told myself i wasn't going to call anymore - i was going to wait until the person reached out to me as the hand that i've repeatedly extended in an effort to reconcile has.grown.weak + it would be nice to know that the person is willing to at least show some effort in rebuilding the relationship.
sooo...what AM i going to do about it?!?
pray! Pray!! PRAY!!!
a facebook friend of mine posted a video about forgiveness a few weeks ago - it is truly my prayer for my relationship with this person as well as others that have been strained as a result.
change my thinking
during one of our church small group meetings at our house, one of our friends put forgiveness in perspective: Jesus died for all of our sins + He doesn't expect us to even "pay Him back". He loves us unconditionally, yet we still as humans continue to fall short. basically...WHO AM I to not forgive someone when Jesus continually forgives me?!? it's definitely a hard concept to grasp with the natural mind, but in my quest to live my life more like Him, it's what i'm striving for....i'll be the first to admit...i'm not there yet, but at least i'm trying...
6.04.2010
a prayer for my husband...
as a christian wife, i truly understand the need of praying for my husband + for my marriage. i recently began searching for a "simple" yet powerful prayers that i could commit to praying on a daily basis + wanted to share one i came across. of course, i could come up with something on my own; however, at times, it's hard for me to find the right words to say. this prayer truly speaks to me because it is about my husband + his needs....NOT MY OWN. so many times we pray for what WE want...for how WE want others to treat us. putting aside that selfishness truly allows us to experience love + marriage the way God intended it to be.
before getting married, my husband + i completed a six month pre-marital counseling course through our church, destiny metropolitan worship church. in one of our sessions, one of our facilitators said..."if you concentrate on your spouse's needs + he/she concentrates on yours...neither one of you have to worry about your own". that is SUCH a true statement. i cannot at all tell you that i'm a perfect example of that principle - i do lose sight of that at times...but it is definitely something that i am working on...for him ;)
i will be adding this prayer to my "repertoire"...
Lord, bless and preserve my cherished husband, whom You have given me: Let his life be long and blessed, comfortable and holy; let me forever be a blessing and a comfort to him, a sharer in all his sorrows, a consolation in all the trials of life; make me forever lovable in his eyes and forever dear to him; unite his heart to mine in fondest love and holiness, and mine to his in all sweetness, charity, and submission. Keep me from all ungentleness and pridefulness; make me humble and obedient, that we may delight in each other according to Your blessed word. May both of us rejoice in You, having our portion in the love and service of God forever.
Amen.
*adapted from www.faithandfamilylive.com
before getting married, my husband + i completed a six month pre-marital counseling course through our church, destiny metropolitan worship church. in one of our sessions, one of our facilitators said..."if you concentrate on your spouse's needs + he/she concentrates on yours...neither one of you have to worry about your own". that is SUCH a true statement. i cannot at all tell you that i'm a perfect example of that principle - i do lose sight of that at times...but it is definitely something that i am working on...for him ;)
i will be adding this prayer to my "repertoire"...
Lord, bless and preserve my cherished husband, whom You have given me: Let his life be long and blessed, comfortable and holy; let me forever be a blessing and a comfort to him, a sharer in all his sorrows, a consolation in all the trials of life; make me forever lovable in his eyes and forever dear to him; unite his heart to mine in fondest love and holiness, and mine to his in all sweetness, charity, and submission. Keep me from all ungentleness and pridefulness; make me humble and obedient, that we may delight in each other according to Your blessed word. May both of us rejoice in You, having our portion in the love and service of God forever.
Amen.
*adapted from www.faithandfamilylive.com
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