A fruity marriage

A Fruity Marriage

I love bubble baths! They are one of those things that make me say "God, whoever you gave the idea of the bath tub to THANKYOU" and a jacuzzi "Well played, well played!"
It is that special time of night where I get to de-stress and lay in a scalding hot pool of bliss, slip away into another world as I read a good book. 

 I'm in the midst of re-reading redeeming love. (If you havent read it, seriously you're missing out) It is the story of Michael and Angle, a modern day Hosea and Gomer very beautifully written.

Every time I read this book I just fall in love with the love story, especially Micheal. I fall in love with his character....I him riding in on a white horse...shirtless...bahahaha ok, im kidding. Seriously every time it gets me thinking about marriage. 

Ahhh marriage it can be as close to heaven or hell that we will experience on this earth. The idea of joining yourself to another person for the rest of your life is such a romantic thought...real life can be a bit different.
I could probably spend all my time writing about how fantastic marriage is and even longer complaining about it. There are so many difficulties,victories, laughs and tears when it comes to marriage, it's hard to know where to start.
 Today though I want to talk about women who become disappointed that their marriage doesn't reflect God and isn't this grand love story. Women who start thinking maybe this isn't the man God wanted me to marry. He's not a leader or gentle or insert whatever else you can here. Ladies I've been there. In a nut shell those were probably my first two years of marriage.....and one question changed everything.

How can your marriage reflect God if your life doesn't?

Sounds simple right. Wrong!
I started noticing the hopes and dreams I had for my marriage, the practises and the morals I wanted in my marriage weren't in my personal life. Marriage is just an extension of who you already are after all right...so I realized things had to change.
 I had to learn to love like Jesus loved. So I started in the most obvious place 1 Corinthians 13. You know what I'm talking about? I promise you if you haven't personally read it, you have heard it, its pretty much the go to wedding verse. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy or boast...blah blah blah. So I just started going down the list and praying...


Love is patient: Lord give me patience in my daily life, with my husband and with my children, give me opportunities to practise patience....and so on and so forth.
Knowing that the these were the fruits of the spirit and that the spirit is in me, I knew that the more I practised, prayed and watched for opportunities the more I'd learn to love like Jesus...guess what...it worked!!
Well I should say working. Its a continuous day in and day out thing that has turned my marriage into this hot mess off awesomeness, every day it looks more and more like the plan God has for our marriage. The more I practise the fruits of the spirit in my own life the more my heart changes and becomes more like Christ, the more my heart becomes like Christ the more my marriage reflect one that has God as its anchor. More and more I see my husband like Christ see him and the more in love I fall with that fantastic man he is. Do we still have a long way to go? Oh heck yes, but I wouldn't trade our love story in for any story in a book.

Until Jesus Christ is the obsession of your heart you will always be looking to mere men to meet the need that only he can fill. Only when you make Jesus Christ your first love, will you be ready for a love story that reflects his glory. ~ annoyomous


Shesoneinabrazilian

 

Mommy time

I

MOMMY TIME

I lay there, still, as my heart begins to pound I hear the crunching and turning like it's right beside me. I know I can't move an inch or make a sound or I will give it all away and face my dreaded doom. I hear it, the wail that starts off soft and grows louder and louder...if only I could find a way to stop it, if only I could just close my eyes and disappear everything would be better. Then I hear it THUMP.....THUMP......THUMP....thump thump thump thump and the loud creeeeeeeek and I try to cover myself in hopes that I won't be seen. It can't be happening, not now not yet.I panic and start to sweat and my heart is almost beating out of my chest. Then I hear in a quiet whisper "Mom,is it time to wake up?" I see the 5:45am bright on my phone and think to myself, curse you sun. One by one they pop out of bed and I have to leave my sanctuary of my covers....ugh...I hate mornings.

If your a mom...you have probably been there. You know, when you hear your kids in the next room and in your head you pray "Jesus, just 10 more minutes". Yup that is me...well most days. I've tried the whole Proverbs 31:15 thing "she gets up while its still night...." You know read my devos have breakfast all ready for the kids and husband. Let me tell you falling asleep on the toilet doesn't look good on anyone. Can I get an Amen!

At the end of the day though being a mom is still the greatest gift I have been given and I love it so much and wouldn't give it up for anything in the world. However, it's got me thinking. I get up every morning when the kids do, spend all day teaching,playing and raising my kids and sometimes I forget there was a person here before mommy and before wife.

It makes me think about the midlife crises thing when all my kids have moved out and my mom role has changed significantly, will there be any Jessika left?
So often we as mothers take on mommy as our full identity during child raising years

We pour ourselves day and night into loving on our babies exactly like wonderful mothers should. We often overlook one of the most crucial parts of being a momma..."mommy time"!!

That time that is specifically set aside AWAY from your children doing things that fill you up and encourage you. I've tried to have "mommy time" at home, nope, doesn't work! Those little monsters find me every single time...I can't ever pee in peace!
Taking time to yourself, with your husband or friends is so important and crucial to being a good parent.
When your with your kids all the time they play you out,know how to push all your buttons and give you a couple mini heart attacks a day. In order to love them the way God intended us to love them we have to have time to recharge and refuel so we have something to pour out for them that's worth pouring out. I'm not talking about once a year type thing, I'm talking on regular basis.
We need both physical rest and Godly rest.

So ladies take some time to sit and spend with the Lord and to find your passions. Paint, go to a movie, even sneak in some "mommy daddy time ooo lala". But get out, refuel so that you can love those beautiful babies better today then you did yesterday.



Hebrews 4: 9-11 “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”
Shesoneinabrazilian