Tag: marriage

marriage

How We Pull Our Husbands Into Sin

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“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6 NIV).

How I wish I was never responsible for leading my husband into sin. But that is just not the case. I do this, ladies. I do it over and over again.

In case you are thinking, “Wow! She must be a really sinful woman!”, let me clarify. The sin I tend to pull my husband into isn’t the type of sin that will get him in the kind of trouble Eve got Adam into.

It is the average day-to-day sin I tend to draw him into. Those times when the enemy is doing his finest work in my attitude and actions that my husband gets pulled in, either intentionally or unintentionally.

I get cranky with the kids and share my frustrations with him, then he gets cranky with the kids. I gossip about a friend and then he shares about his coworker. I come home in a poor attitude and before you know it my husbands mood is negative.

I choose an unhealthy late night snack, and there goes the hubs, digging into the Whoppers right alongside me. And I know full well this isn’t ideal for his diabetes. When you are diabetic, Whoppers are just as forbidden as that beautiful piece of fruit Eve held out to Adam.

I know full well before I do these things what the outcome will be. Yet it doesn’t stop me from it.

It’s the everyday attitudes and choices we make that have the power to influence our man. Most of them, we don’t even give a second thought.

I wonder if Eve thought twice about offering that temptation to Adam. If she had pondered it a little longer, I wonder if she would have chosen differently.

As wives we have the ability to establish the temperament and attitude of our home. We hold the power of influence and the power of suggestion. When we choose happy, our home tends to be a happy place.

When we choose grumpy, cranky, and mean, this becomes the environment of our home. The choices we make pull the people around us into our little piece of Eden.

Wives, what can we take away from this? Perhaps it would be to be mindful of the power we have to influence our husbands – the ability to sway their thoughts and actions. This can be a wonderful thing when we are drawing them to Christ.

It can also be a sinful thing when we are seeking them to take on our fleshly thoughts and actions. Let’s use our influence for the glory of God, not for the temptation of those we hold dearest to our hearts.

Motherhood

When Are You Having Kids?

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By:  Alison Rodriguez

That question. Oh, THAT question.

It used to make my blood boil when someone asked me that question.

So many times, my mind screamed:

None of your business!
I’m trying!
I wish I knew!

Instead, the polite person in me – well, really, the person who did not want to face the fact that something was wrong – would often reply:

Oh, I’d like to finish my master’s degree first.
Maybe in a couple more years.

Except one time. Someone at work caught me on a bad day. A lady from another department whom I don’t know very well asked the forbidden question. No made up excuse this time. She got Ally’s famous evil eyes, and, “I actually can’t have kids.” In that moment, I found great joy in the shocked look on her face and her fumbled attempt at a response. All I could think was that’s what you get for asking a personal question to someone with whom you don’t have a personal relationship.

For so long, I used school as an excuse. And then when I finished, I used my husband going to school as an excuse. Excuses are lies you tell others hoping you’ll begin to believe them yourself. Truth be told, I dreamt of holding my baby boy or girl on graduation day wearing my master’s cap, gown, and hood. Now, I dream of having our little one sit on my lap at my husband’s graduation as he receives his master’s hood.

I know that most people have only good intentions when asking this question, but it carries so many assumptions and connotations.

When are you having kids?

…assumes someone wants kids.
…assumes someone can physically have kids.
…assumes that conceiving is the only way to grow a family.

To those trying to conceive, this question strikes a painful chord deep within their soul. It is a reminder that they are not pregnant. It is a reminder that something is wrong with them. It is a reminder that this little person who has mommy’s eyes and daddy’s smile still isn’t here yet and may never be.

This blood-boiling question and my long-time response to it made me realize one very important thing. The condition of your heart determines the character of your response. My heart was bitter so my response was bitter. I created bogus excuses to comfort myself and so easily told them to others.

 

 

Now, when asked this question, I’m truthful. I no longer feel shame in sharing our journey, because I know God has me in this season for a reason. Instead of being a source of heartache, this question has become an opportunity to share what the Lord has done in our lives and hearts. No more bogus excuses. I now share that I have a little angel baby watching over me. I now say that we are halfway through the process of adopting a little one from the foster care system.

When are you having kids?

Does it still strike a painful chord? Yes.
Do I still want to yell, “none of your business!” Sometimes.

But I’m so thankful that those moments are now few and far between. I’m thankful that God did not leave my side for one moment while I worked on changing my heart.

One thing I ask of you: Can we change this question? Can we be mindful of who we ask it to? You never know who is struggling with infertility, and what this question represents in their life. 

Let’s change this from “having kids” to “growing families”. So many families are grown through fostering, adoption, and surrogacy. And some families remain as duos with pets. Let’s refrain from asking this question to people with whom we don’t share a personal relationship. Asking coworkers and acquaintances might not go over so well.

And one last request. Take a moment to evaluate the condition of your heart. Most times, the first thing that needs to change in your circumstance is your heart’s response to it.

With love,
Ally Rod

Motherhood

The Beauty of Our Bond

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By:  Betty Predmore

I am celebrating my anniversary with my sweet hubby. We have been married 9 years today. When he took me as his bride, he also took on four broken kids who weren’t quite sure what to do with a step-dad. He has persevered through hateful words, high voices, and bad attitudes, and has pretty much won them over. Added to that are the three little ones we adopted just a little over a year into our marriage. We have a true understanding of the word CHAOS. We also have a true understanding of the word FAMILY. In our home, it is not the blood ties that bind. It is the love, compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance that has melded us into this unique batch of crazy that is unmistakably ours, and unmistakably cherished by each of us.

As I read the anniversary wishes from my kids today, I am struck by the beauty of our bond, I am reminded of how God takes that which seems impossible and makes it totally possible. I am touched to the core by the love our children have for us, and by the devotion our family shares. My heart is filled with gratitude, not just for nine wonderful years of marriage, but also for the family God has assembled for us. Sometimes they are a little much. Sometimes I am sure I will not survive the day. Often, I want to pull out a hair or two. But always, I am honored to be their mama, and so very grateful for each special moment the Lord gives us.

I realize that today is not only the anniversary of the day I married my husband. It is also the anniversary of the day we became this beautiful family, brought together through God’s goodness and his trust in us as parents. So I say to my babies….Happy Anniversary!