What would happen to our marriages? (If just for today we did this...)

 Let's be honest, there are just some days when you can't even remember what it felt like the day you walked down the aisle on your wedding day.

You hate to admit it, but today,

YOUR MARRIAGE feels just THAT STALE.

And Mamas, there may be days, like right now, when you feel like plain ol' quitting this whole,

"I'll love you forever blah blah blah marriage thang"...

I get it. I really do.

Because, if there is one thing that women MOST want to talk to me about when I travel around to Churches to share the gospel it is this:

How do I survive the "I do's" on the days I flat out feel like "I don’t?

Pop culture says when our marriages get to THIS spot something is wrong. We should move on. Walk away. Separate.
It's time to find somebody new.

JUST QUIT.

But the truth is, IF your marriage HASN’T hit this low dip,

you’ve got bigger problems on your hands...

Because contrary to what People Magazine or SCANDAL

or Taylor Swift or pretty Instagram pictures tell you;

TRUE, DEEP, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

doesn’t FEEL GOOD ALL THE TIME.

LOVE IS A CHOICE.

A DECISION THAT OVERRIDES THE HEART.

Marriage is incredible, but it's a mystery.
And real Marriage is NOT for the faint at heart.
It is two wounded trying to love each other.
Trying to daily gift each other what only Jesus has the power to give.

But we play a pivotal part.

We have a choice. The option of saying “yes” every day.

YES TO DECISIVE LOVE.

YES TO RELYING ON GOD FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE WE DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO GIVE.

YES TO RECOGNIZING THIS BOND BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE IS THE CLOSEST WE WILL GET TO EXPERIENCING HEAVEN ON THIS EARTH.

SO WHAT IF JUST FOR TODAY...

We put more effort into showing affection to our husbands, than we do checking our Facebook page?

Today, what would our children learn about love, if we greeted him at the door, flinging ourselves into his arms, the way we used to when we were dating?

How would the tone in our homes change if we made the decision to speak warmly to the one we vowed to be with forever, even more kindly than we speak to our girlfriends?

What if today- every time we had we a choice, we chose to put him first above the kids?

How would our feelings toward him change if we made sure we had the energy at night to embrace him on the couch and show him love, the way he most receives it,  instead of being up to our eyeballs in laundry and undone kid projects?

What type of confident, secure children would we raise if we dared to put our marriage above our mothering? If we had the maturity to put our marriages above the needs of our extended family and our friends?

What would happen to our marital satisfaction and divorce rates, if we made the hard decision and top priority to move mountains to consistently get away, alone together?

What if today we decided to keep dating each other? To schedule that babysitter we’ve been talking about getting for so long…

How would our intimacy ignite if we took the time to pour into our tired-mama-selves, sneaking away each day to remember that our true identity is found in NOT what we do, or who we mother, or how clean our house is; but in the truth that we are first God’s beloved daughter?

How would our husband’s self-esteem explode and our children’s hearts change if we stopped putting our "littles" at the CENTER of everything and taught them to put others above themselves?

 What if just for today we remember the truth that we were a family BEFORE the kids came and we will REMAIN A FAMILY when they leave the nest?

 WHAT IF TODAY,
GOD IS ASKING YOU TO STAY THE COURSE
IN YOUR MARRIAGE?

 TO QUIET THE DARK VOICE THAT YOU OFTEN HEAR IN THE LONELY HOURS THAT YOUR VOW IS DOOMED TO FAIL? THAT YOU MADE THE WRONG DECISION?

WHAT IF HE, THE CREATOR OF MARRIAGE, IS ASKING YOU TO HANG IN THERE,
TO NOT QUIT ON YOUR MAN? KNOWING IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY THAT THERE IS ALWAYS BLESSING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF BROKENNESS.

AND IF TODAY, THIS FEELS IMPOSSIBLE…

YOU ARE RIGHT.

IT IS.

LOVE IS IMPOSSIBLE AND EXHAUSTING WHEN WE TRY TO DO IT ON OUR OWN, WITHOUT CONNECTING WITH THE POWER SOURCE.

TO TRULY LOVE WE NEED TO PLUG INTO THE AUTHOR AND VERY GIVER OF LOVE AND THE ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS.

BECAUSE OUR SAVIOR GETS IT. HE REALLY DOES.

JESUS CHRIST NEVER HAS AND
NEVER WILL QUIT ON US.
AND THE CREATOR OF MARRIAGE...
HE CARES SO VERY MUCH ABOUT YOURS.

 Because today sister-Mamas,
if I was sitting across from you with a glass of sweet tea
and you were spilling your heart, sharing your struggle;
I would whisper, "Just focus on today."

Your ETERNAL reward is worth it.  

And so is your hubby.
Not because of what he is or isn't doing,
not because of how immature or frustrating he is,
but your husband is worth it because his dignity is the same as yours.

 He is also God's beloved.

 Your man’s heart was worth it for Jesus as he hung, naked suffering on a tree. And your husband’s heart is worth the sacrifice.
Worth your sacrifice too.

Because after all, isn’t that the LOVE that Jesus witnessed?
It is putting another above ourselves.

 We love our husbands not because they DESERVE our love,
but because God does.

And by loving him ….we are LOVING HIM. 

I believe GOD WANTS TO RESTORE YOUR MARRIAGE. TODAY.

Your “yes” to love determines the outcome….