I only have eyes for you.

My husband knows that I love him; he's the only one for me. How can he be sure? For starters, I tell him all the time. But more than that - I show him. I want to be sure that my actions and my attitudes let him (and the rest of the world) know that I only have eyes for him.

How about you?

A Slow Decline...part 2

I was talking with a woman who is about twenty years my senior. When she told me that she was leaving to vacation with her husband in Paris I told her that she was so blessed to be taking such a romantic trip with her beloved, far away from distractions of everyday life. She literally laughed out loud and told me that I was still young and had a lot to learn. When I reminded her that I had 14 years of marriage under my belt she replied, "Oh yea, well just give it a few more years." My heart was saddened. She bought into the lie that marriage is at its best during the honeymoon and then it begins a slow and dreadful decline. This seems to be the consensus among the general population. I suppose that anything left unattended will decline - marriage is no different.
Let's explore this topic together.

Looking back...

I logged in to my face book account this morning and saw this status update from one year ago today:

Parenting is not for wimps my friends. Changing diapers, cleaning messes, catching bugs for a science project, and carpooling are the easy things. The real test comes when you must look into the face of your teary-eyed child, recognize his genuine repentance, and still enforce the consequence. The phrase "this hurts me more than it hurts you" doesn't just apply to spankings. Making a man out of a boy is no easy task.

 

Thinking back to the specific situation we were dealing with on the day that I posted that I still feel that little pinch in my chest. You know, that ache that comes with knowing that our children will sometimes experience pain and regret. The good news is that genuine repentance was present. The tough news is that we still had to enforce the consequence...and it made this momma cry. He was truly sorry but we had to reinforce the fact that sin has consequences. Mercy abounds, forgiveness is freely available, and we can face the consequences together through His grace. Discipling children is a divine calling - a sacred responsibility. When done well - raising our children will cost us something. Have you counted the cost?