Marriage Monday ~ Diligent

11. June 2012 · 4 comments · Categories: Marriage, Marriage Monday · Tags: Christian, Christian living, Marriage, Prayer, Wifey stuff

Today’s topic is: Diligent

Dictionary.com defines diligent as constant in effort to accomplish something

I like dictionaries because they help me find the heart behind words.

Constant. Effort.

What is an effort? dictionary.com defines effort as

something done by hard work

What is constant? dictionary.com defines constant as:

Not changing or varying; uniform; regular; invariable.
Continuing without pause or letup; unceasing.
Faithful; unswerving in love, devotion.
Steadfast; firm in mind or purpose; resolute

How can I apply diligence to my marriage?

In order to do that, I first need to look at what the Lord asks of me within my marriage:

Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
1 Peter 3:1-6 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,
Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Proverbs 31:10-31 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar…
Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Titus 2:5 To be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

And next what He say’s about diligence:

Proverbs 10:4 A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

How does this all mesh together?

Simply said ~ we need to discipline ourselves with our application of what the Lord expects of us in marriage.

Long-ish version ~ Your marriage belongs to God. Marriage is not simply about the wedding, or “putting a ring on it”. Marriage is a union of two people (one man and one woman). Your life is no longer your own, it is now merged with the life of your spouse. Marriage is not just saying “I do”, it has so many branches that come out of its core. Homemaking, child rearing, house keeping, homeschooling (in my case) and so much more. We must be in constant effort with ALL of our God-given roles within our marriage.

Firm in our purpose. Intentional.

Ask your self this question daily: How can I give of myself today, how can I give up of me today ~ so that I can be a reflection of Christ and better serve my marriage?

Key points to remember:

What we believe about God determines the quality of our marriage.
The Bible is the foundation of a thriving marriage.
God is the most important person in your marriage.

Remember what Paul wrote to Timothy: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

Of whom I am the highest in ranking.

If I look at myself as the highest ranking sinner in my marriage, I will constantly seek the Lords guidance in everything I do. I will be less prone to wasting my time pointing the finger at my husband, and spend more time in prayer asking the Lord to help me through my sin. More »

Some of the ways I love and encourage my husband ~ Free Printable

29. May 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Marriage, Printables · Tags: Marriage, Printables, Wifey stuff

I’ve realized that one of the areas wives most struggle in is encouraging their husband or finding ways to serve him. Especially if you’re a stay at home wife, it’s easy to get every ounce of you sucked into taking care of the kids!!!

I thought I would list out just a few ways that I do to “tangibly” apply this in my day to day doings. Here’s my list – I’d love to hear what some of your things would be!!

Proverbs 31 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life

Preparing coffee in the morning before he goes off to work – although sometimes he’s running late but he absolutely love it every time he has fresh coffee fist thing.
Send him a sweet text during the day (or a few) – maybe something like “I’m thinking about you, and I hope you have a great day love!”
Having a meal ready when dinner comes around – My husband is one of those guys that doesn’t like to eat as soon as he gets home. I think he’s too “wound” up from the day at 5pm. But when he gets hungry he loves the option of a good meal vs snacks.
Keeping our room clutter free - Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember what it was like working outside of the home. When I used to work an 8-5 I remember how important and how significant it was to come back home to a clean room and home. I loved how it felt walking into my room and seeing my bed made, my bathroom picked up and not clutter all over the place. I purposefully made time on weekends and in the mornings to tidy up the place, so that I could come home to that environment. Well, I don’t work out of the home anymore…but my husband does. It’s SO easy for me to just make stacks here and there, or let my current craft project take up our bedroom floor, because I’m there all day going back and forth doing a zillion things. I need to remind myself that my husband does work out of the home, and would also love to come into a put together home. He knows we have kids that are here all day and it’s sometimes inevitable to keep it that way (although I do try my best, particularly around 5pm), but that’s really no excuse for our room.
Keeping our room our room and not an overflow if the kids room – this kind of goes hand in hand with the previous one. It’s not really romantic when you are one on one time snuggling with your husband and suddenly and Elmo toy starts singing…only to find it under the bed or covers. LOL (yup, it’s happened)
Ask him how his day was - Sometimes I forget he “had a day” too. I can get so focused on what I’ve been doing and forget to see how he is. I’ve noticed when I ask him how is day was, not only does he see that I have an interest in what he does, and how he cares for our family … but it also give him a release if he want’s to get something off his chest
If he has a busy week ahead at work – pray for him, send him a few encouraging texts cheering him on through his week.

There are quite a few things I could add to this list, and each week may look a bit different due to what he may have going on that week. These are just some examples and ideas that I can purposefully apply this in our day to day lives.

I like printables, and I love making lists!!!! It really helps me stay “on point”. Homemaking and home-management is a big task, so it’s important for me to intentionally do everything and plan it out. Below is a link to a PDF download of what I have added to my binder. I place it at the beginning of each week, and make sure it’s one of the first things I address when planning the week out. (Just click on the pink link and it will open the file)

Ways to encourage and serve my husband this week

What are some ways you are an encouragement to your husband?

Marriage Monday~ Attentive

21. May 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Marriage, Marriage Monday · Tags: Attentive, Marriage, Wifey stuff

A Classic Housewife has a super fun link up called Marriage Monday! I’m excited to join in as I’m venturing into the bloggy world!

Today’s topic is: Attentive

Miriam Webster defines Attentive as “mindful, observant, heedful of the comfort of others”

All to often I find myself so focused on my things and what I have to do. Even just watching my favorite movie or tv show, or surfing the web. My husband really doesn’t ask for much, as a matter of fact – he’s never once said I’m not attentive enough. I think that’s becasue of his kind and loving nature. He’s so forgiving, and so understanding of me. More »