The Lord Gave and Has Taken Away

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.”

~Job 1:21~

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The beginning of this year began with a one month vacation for my husband.  For those of you who don't know, my husband is self employed.  This one month vacation was not a voluntary one.  Though the Lord wanted him and I to take it as one.   This year will be a year where my husband and I will say, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." 

This past month we have had to fully depend on  the Lord to open doors and pour His favor upon my husband and business.  And in the process we have been in peace.  My husband and I are amazed by this peace and know it can only can come from God.  This time has brought us so much closer.  We have been able to get our home in order, talk about our marriage, our plans, pray together and just grow as "one".  

These past months have been a little difficult for me with morning and evening sickness (I am 3 months pregnant).  And my husband took care of me, our boys and our home. I couldn't have gone through these months without him and God graciously provided him to me for a month! God is so good!

When we look at our circumstances it really is with what eyes we will look at them in.  Will we look at them with our natural eyes? This will lead us to worry and discouragement. But when we live and walk in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is there to remind us who is our Father. He points us to our provider, the One who has never left us and never will. 

Our family has never lived in so much joy then this past month.  We didn't worry how we were going to pay the mortgage, bills, or buy food.  We know if God gave us this home, He will provide for it; if He gave us our children He will provide for them.  

So what have we done in this month?  WE HAVE PRAISED AND BLESSED HIS NAME!

No matter if He gives or takes away, we will praise Him, because in the end He is all that we have and all that matters!

Whatever circumstance or situation you find in yourself, know that HE IS GOD! He will take care of His children and He knows what is best! Stand firm in His Truth!

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”  ~ Revelation 1:8

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.  ~ 1 Corinthians 14:33

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. ~ Proverbs 19:21

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

This song has blessed our life during this season.  May you be blessed.

For His Glory and By His Grace,
Monica

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This is the WAY, Walk in it!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Recently I have understood a little more what God means by trusting Him, leaning not on my own understanding and acknowledging Him.  There has been a lot of changes in our home.  Changes that have been drastic and surprising.  I truly believe that all have been planned out by God and He is putting everything in order.

And your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left. ~ Isaiah 30:21

It is very hard to let God!  My complete heart desires to honor, serve and do God's will, but that becomes difficult at times when it has to be His way.  It is easy to honor God my way, easy to serve Him my way and  easy to say my will is His will.  It's at that moment when I am humbled by my Father and have no other choice but to let Him do what He does best for me. 

As you know I have been homeschooling my boys for sometime.  For sometime my husband had been saying to me that He desired for our boys to go to school.  For me this was a shock.  I knew in my heart that God wanted us to homeschool them.  I told my husband, "until the Lord gives me peace about it, I will think about it!"  With that said, I made sure I didn't feel the peace of God!  My husband never pushed the subject because we both knew it would turn into an argument.  A time had passed and things were just not going well with our homeschool.  There was so much distraction on a daily basis, I was not being a blessing to my boys, I was ignoring my youngest son and the list can go on.  I finally knew my "ears needed to hear the word behind me".  God was speaking to me and was just not listening! What was He saying?

Monica....

1. You are not submitting yourself to your husband, therefore you are not submitting yourself to Me...

2. You are working in your own strength, therefore you are not seeking Me to help you

3.  You are ignoring my will for your life... 

4. You are closing the door to the blessings I have for you....

Really the list can go on! But the one thing on this list that truly hit home was not submitting myself to my husband.  My husband is a man of God, who fears the Lord and when he speaks, I know, God has spoken to him.  

All the while, we had been arguing and I had been so close minded toward the idea of sending our boys to school. Until I finally surrendered.  I went to the Lord.  I asked Him truly what His will for our family was and it was to send our boys to a Christian school, three minutes from where we live!

My husband and I spoke and began to move.  We prayed to the Lord, came into agreement and TRUST the Lord to do what HE has already planned. 

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Our boys have been in school since December and LOVE it! My youngest son is completely happy to be able to have his momma's undivided attention,  I am truly at peace and my husband and I are live in harmony!

God is so good that He doesn't reveal all His blessings at once!  The Lord gave us a little SURPRISE.... I found out that my husband and I are expecting our 5th child!   This for us was a HUGE  surprise!  But not for Him!   I have learned to tune my ears to His word ... and walk in it!

Living For His Glory and By His Grace,

Monica

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God's Blue Print for Marriage Part 2 - A Living Picture of God's Image

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Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. ~ Genesis 1:26-31


What does it mean to be created in the image of God or in His likeness if He has no physical body?

• we are reflections of His glory
• our entire self reflects His image
• we have the ability to reflect His character - love, patience, kindness, forgiveness and faithfulness

A Living Picture of the Image of God in Our Marriage:

1. My husband and I were created in the image of God. Our marriage reflects His glory.  When we come into unity we glorify what God has intended...oneness. The word says, "let them", which makes us a team.  Together we reflect the image of God.  
2. Think about any kind of team, soccer, baseball... really any team; each person has a job to do to achieve one goal.  No one is more than the other.  There may be times that one person on the team gets more cheers then the other teammates, but without those teammates that one person could not get to where he/she is.  That is marriage.  We each have a different position and job we have to fill, but without the other, the team is incomplete and the goal cannot be achieved.  When we first married, it was so easy for me to want to please my husband and make sure that I did what God called me to do on this team. Now as we have lived with each other for many years and many responsibilities came, I find that it is not as easy as it used to be.  Oneness is not something that I can expect just because I came into marriage.  Oneness is something that I must work at daily.  Oneness can only be achieved (in my opinion), when I look at my husband and I see God's creation.  I see God's image.  I see God's intention.  I see the importance, the significance of what he (my husband) brings to OUR TEAM.  I can't do everything in our marriage, nor should I expect to.  I need my husband.  Together we cheer each other on, help each other when one falls and gets hurt, WE take out and put back the equipment that we use on our team.... etc. 
3. When I criticize my husband, judge him or create division (because I want it my way), I am dishonoring God.  I open the door for Satan to come into my marriage and home.  I say yes to DISCORD!  Many times division is created because of misunderstanding. Many times my husband says something to me that I get offended by.  Why? In his mind he is trying to communicate something, that my mind is processing and translating differently.  SO, I have learned to always ask "what do you mean?" before I put up my wall.  It is so important to find ways to diminish the desire to be wall builders.  Every wall built is a step AWAY from oneness - GOD's PURPOSE IN MARRIAGE.  
4. When I recognize my purpose is to reflect the image of God, the Holy Spirit convicts me.  He reminds me of His fruits: love, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, joy, faithfulness, goodness and self-control.  He helps me from hardening my heart towards my husband when certain things occur and start living out his fruits. 
5. God's character must be reflected in me (and my husband) towards my husband- DAILY! When I show my husband love when I am tired and busy I reflect God's image and come into oneness. When I am patient with my husband, especially when I am in a rush to do something else, I reflect God's image and come into oneness. When I show kindness towards him, even when he is in a bad mood because he had a rough day at work, I reflect God's image and come into oneness. When I forgive him because of what he said that hurt my feelings (which is never his intention or even realizes), I reflect God's image and come into oneness. When I keep my word that I will do what he asked me to and not keep putting it off for the next day, I reflect God's image and come into oneness. When I create and keep joy in my home, even when I have had the hardest day, I reflect God's image and come into oneness. When I tame my tongue instead of making my point and wanting to be better and right, I reflect God's image and come into oneness. When I through water on the fire and make sure we are at peace with each other, I reflect God's image and come into oneness. 

This is what makes my marriage strong.  I can have every book on how to manage my finances in a family of #? or have the most amazing intimacy with my husband, or even read books on end on how to communicate better to my husband (these are not bad things to do - they are just secondary), but then I will never live out God's purpose for my marriage.  I must daily seek to reflect God's character in my life and in my marriage and see my husband as God's awesome creation. When I do that I will come into oneness with my husband, I will see God's Glory! and we will reflect God's image.

Note: Some readers may feel offended because I only focus on the woman's role in marriage.  I understand that it is important that the husband do the same and there is a role he must fill, but I can only speak what God has placed in my heart and what I have to live out in my life as a wife.  Hopefully in the future my husband can encourage other husbands out there on the same topic.   Thank you for understanding. 

I hope you would join me next Monday for Part 3 of God's Blue Print for Marriage, as we go to the Word of God and discover God's purpose for our marriages.

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Two Shall Become One Marriage Link-Up

I invite you to join me every Monday for this 
"Two Shall Become One" Marriage Link-Up.

Please share your post on any and all things related to being a wife, i.e. tips for other wives on "becoming your husbands bride", ways to touch your husbands heart/minister to him, dating ideas, what God is doing in your marriage that can bless others, etc. 

Link to your actual post, not just your general blog address. Don't forget to link back, either by using the button below or a text link. You can find the button code below for you to insert in your post or on your side bar.  I hope you would follow this blog and be encouraged weekly to start your weeks as "his bride".

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God's Blue Print for Marriage

Have you ever wondered why you married your spouse?  (Please do not stop reading! There is a point to this post!) Was it only because you loved him?  Was it because you saw a great future with him?  Have you wondered what the purpose of your marriage is?

I have said and heard many wives say, "God joined us with a purpose".  When I had said that, I envisioned GREAT things!  I saw us ministering together as a couple is so many areas.

The love story that I live started 17 years ago, when my husband and I met. Our friendship turned into love.  We were God's design for each other. Are love for each other is true and unconditional.  Yes, we do get upset, we do have our ups and downs, we don't understand each other everyday (sometimes because of the way our minds translates the others language!) but we love each other and know we were created for each other with a purpose in the heart and mind of God.

Purpose: The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

So what is the purpose of my marriage?  What is God's reason for our "I do's"? What is the end result of the existence of our marriage? What is God's blueprint for my marriage?  HIS BLUEPRINT WILL ANSWER ALL MY QUESTIONS!

God has a purpose for my marriage and your marriage.  Many times we lose focus of that purpose with the demands of life.  Our home must be tended to, our children, taken care of and educated, our husbands cared for, ministries we are part of, jobs to go to, classes to teach, our lists can go on and on.  I want to share with you what God showed me through His Word. The purpose of the love that joined my husband and I together goes beyond our love for each other and our plans.  I have been focusing on how to have a better marriage by looking at how to better our finances, our communication/ understanding, our intimacy,  my role as a wife, his role as a husband, when really that is all secondary (please do not misunderstand me, it is NOT bad to better these areas).  God wants me to look at His blueprint, first.  When I follow His blueprint all of the other areas in my marriage that I want to better will better itself.  Our (my husband and I) focus has to be what His purpose is for our marriage NOT what we think His purpose is for our marriage.

I hope you would join me next Monday for Part 2 of God's Blue Print for Marriage, as we go to the Word of God and discover God's purpose for our marriages.

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Two Shall Become One Marriage Link-Up

I invite you to join me every Monday for this 
"Two Shall Become One" Marriage Link-Up.

Please share your post on any and all things related to being a wife, i.e. tips for other wives on "becoming your husbands bride", ways to touch your husbands heart/minister to him, dating ideas, what God is doing in your marriage that can bless others, etc. 

Link to your actual post, not just your general blog address. Don't forget to link back, either by using the button below or a text link. You can find the button code below for you to insert in your post or on your side bar.  I hope you would follow this blog and be encouraged weekly to start your weeks as "his bride".

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It is NOT ALL about ME in OUR MARRIAGE!

This past week I found lots of wonderful encouragement to becoming a better wife.  I felt encouraged to value my husband; to love him and to look at the BIG picture of our marriage.  What are God's intentions with our union?, I asked myself this week.  Am I doing all that I need to, to fulfill God's will for my marriage?  Am I doing more for me or more for my husband in our marriage?  With all those questions, the Lord is so gracious and good, that He always provides words of encouragement.  The encouragement that He gave me this week was not, "Monica, you are do exactly what you are supposed to be doing in your marriage!  Good Job!" - NO!  it was more like "Monica, sweety,  you need to put more thought into your husband.  You are not a bad wife, but think about him a little more than yourself."  And then I asked my self this question, "What would I sacrifice (my wants, my desires, my vision, my mission) for my husband?  Am I willing to give things up so it can be our wants for our marriage, our desires for our marriage, our vision for our marriage and family, our mission for our marriage and family?

I can honestly and shamefully say that MANY times, I put myself first before my husband, and to make it WORSE, I convince him of "it" being ME first!  But thank the Lord for His sweet way of opening my eyes and heart.  I am willing to CHANGE! and become a better wife for HIS GLORY! And that is what it is always about - growing and changing, so there is more of HIM and less of ME!

I was blessed this week by two wonderful women and their marriages and I wanted to share with you.

First, Naomi from What Joy is Mine, blessed me with her post, Ministering to My Husband through Our Home. There are so many ways to minister to our husbands and Naomi teaches us ways that we actually minister to them through our home! I was so encouraged and blessed by this post because my husband has said to me numerous times how happy he feels when he comes home to a house that feels like a HOME!  I always thought he was happy because it was clean!  But as I have learned,  this is a way he feels ministered to.  He feels happy to see that all his hard labor is not in vain.  The fruit of his labor is being taken care of and he is able to enjoy his home when he comes home! So I encourage you to stop by my dear friends blog and be encouraged.  She has so many wonderful posts, I know you will be there for hours, just filling up your cup!






The second encouragement came through a video. I was blessed with this video.  The Lord really ministered to me through Larrisa; her words and actions left me speechless.  She encouraged me to look at what am I doing for my husband, what am I saying to my husband; how do I minister to him?  I thank the Lord, that my husband is well and not disabled.  And again I am ministered,  having a healthy husband, do I really do all that I can for him?  Are there things that I would sacrifice for him?  Take a look at this video and be blessed.  It really is SO ENCOURAGING!!

For His Glory and By His Grace,
Monica

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Two Shall Become One Marriage Link-Up

I invite you to join me every Monday for this 
"Two Shall Become One" Marriage Link-Up.

Please share your post on any and all things related to being a wife, i.e. tips for other wives on "becoming your husbands bride", ways to touch your husbands heart/minister to him, dating ideas, what God is doing in your marriage that can bless others, etc. 

Link to your actual post, not just your general blog address. Don't forget to link back, either by using the button below or a text link. You can find the button code below for you to insert in your post or on your side bar.  I hope you would follow this blog and be encouraged weekly to start your weeks as "his bride".

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5 Words for My Husband & Marriage Link-Up

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"Kind words are like honey, sweet to the taste and good for your health" ~ Proverbs 16:24

The Lord taught me a powerful lesson about the power of my words, through my husband the other day.  I was having such a busy day and the boys were seriously not cooperating with me... they were having such an off day!  I called my husband to inform him about a letter that came in the mail about our business insurance (ps- I am also my husbands secretary!).  I just needed to inform him about one thing and he started to ask questions (ahhh!!!).  I could not talk too much, but knew this was really important.  So I listened and tried to respond.  He could hear that I was getting a little "annoyed" with all the questions and I was giving him very quick short answers (I can't believe I am confessing this!) ... and as I started to get  a little heated ... there was a brief moment of silence on the other side of the phone... and he said "I love you mamsita (that is what he calls me sometimes)"... my whole being came back down to earth, my heart sank... I suddenly had a HUGE SMILE on my face... and then responded.... "I love you too.."

In that moment the Lord simply showed me the power of my words over my husband.  What I say to my husband and how I say it (the attitude behind my words) will affect him, his heart, his attitude, his day and everything that he does.  My husband changed my day with his sweet words of love.  Three simple words that held a lot of power, but I knew where they were coming from. He made the Godly choice to speak in love. He could have responded back with a bad attitude but he didn't - he CHOSE to honor God by speaking and giving love to his wife.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.        ~ Proverbs 18:21

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ~Ephesians 4:29

Our words have everything to do with where our heart is.  If I seek the Lord and His love,  I can give love to my husband.  But if I depend on myself, the only thing that my husband will and can receive is my fleshly attitude.

I ask the Lord, that my words will always be sweet like honey.  That everything I say to my husband will bring him "good health".... that the attitude behind my words would build him up and not tear him down. That my words would be filled with love, bringing him blessings and honor.  The words I say to my husband will not evaporate.  They contain power.   In those brief moments of desperation, frustration and tiredness that may come from my day, I make a commitment to be mindful and intentional about speaking in love to my husband.

I want to be swarmed with bees because my mouth is so sweet!

The 5 powerful words in marriage: "I LOVE YOU...I'M SORRY"

"Kind words can be short and sweet, but their echoes are truly endless"~Mother Teresa

What the Word says about the power of words:

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.                     ~ Proverbs 10:19

 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.                      ~ Proverbs 12:18 

A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. ~ Proverbs 17:27 

**Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise. ~ Proverbs 17:28 

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

~ Proverbs 15:4

For His Glory and By His Grace,
Monica


Linked -up to the Blogs on the "BLOG LINK-UP" page above.
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Link-Up

I invite you to join me every Monday for this "Two Shall Become One" Marriage Link-Up.

Please share your post on any and all things related to being a wife, i.e. tips for other wives on "becoming your husbands bride", ways to touch your husbands heart/minister to him, dating ideas, what God is doing in your marriage that can bless others, etc. 

Link to your actual post, not just your general blog address. Don't forget to link back, either by using the button below or a text link. You can find the button code below for you to insert in your post or on your side bar.  I hope you would follow this blog and be encouraged weekly to start your weeks as "his bride".

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I Am his EZER KENEGDO

When I came home today, someone had left a message in my mailbox on an index card.  So I immediately called my husband to let him know.  We shared a couple a words over  the phone, giggled back and forth, (I was putting the dishes in the dishwasher, just put the boys down for a nap and as I was talking to him I was thinking of the thousand of things I had to do in the house!) and he said to me, "do me a favor and....".  These words triggered something in me that made me snap.  I thought - another thing to do!!!  I tried to hold back but did not do a great job at it.  I let it go.  I said everything that I needed.  And then said to him, "okay, I have to go." My husband must have been thinking, "what did I do?  what did I say?" Poor guy, he seriously did not see it coming!


As I hung up the phone I started thinking, "what else does he want me to do?  why can't he put .... away?  why am I the one who always has to pick... up?"  "AM I HIS KEEPER or HELPER? AM I HIS MAID, SECRETARY, PERSONAL ASSISTANT or WIFE?? (NO, I did not say this to him, but I did yell these thoughts in my mind). Quickly and gently the Lord stopped me from going on.


And yet again, my heavenly Father had to teach me another lesson in what it is to be a wife, the suitable helper that he created me to be for my husband.


If you haven't read or heard the messages on the book "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldridge, I highly recommend it.  When I heard these messages (on iTunes) and read more in-depth (the book) the Lord opened my eyes to who I am to Him and to my husband.  BUT, of course, as human as I am - I forget!  PRAISE the Lord, that He is there to remind me of what He has already tried to teach me.


Many time I have asked and said, what is my role in this relationship, this union? And when I think of the word "role", I quickly think, "well I am his wife, I submit to him, I cook for him, I clean for him, etc." Recently the Lord corrected me.  I should not be asking "what role", but what was I designed for in this relationship? 


When God created Eve, He was not creating someone to only pick up after Adam and help out with feeding the animals!  She was created with a LARGER PURPOSE.
The Word of God says in Psalm 139

You have searched me, Lord,and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  
Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 
 You hem me in behind and before,and you lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?⁷     Where can I flee from your presence?
 If I go up to the heavens  you are there;  if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, 
I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 

Your eyes saw my unformed body;all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God!     How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them,  they would outnumber the grains of sand —when I awake, I am still with you.

He knows everything about me and my life.  He knew I would enter into union with my husband.  THAT WAS HIS PLAN.  Therefore, He created me to be to my husband what Eve was to Adam - A suitable helper.


Suitable: Right or appropriate for a particular person, purpose, or situation; fit - appropriate - proper - fitting - convenient


In Genesis, chapter 2 verse 18, God reveals to us, the purpose of our design.


Here are excerpts from the book/messages taken that I would like for us to focus on:

• When God creates Eve, he calls her an ‘ezer kenegdo’. “It is not good for a man to be alone, I shall make him [an ezer kenegdo]” (Gen 2:18). Hebrew scholar Robert Alter, who has spent years translating the book of Genesis, says that this phrase is “notoriously difficult to translate.” The various attempts we have in English are “helper” or “companion” or the notorious “help meet.”
• The word ezer is used only twenty other places in the entire Old Testament. And in every other instance the person being described is God himself, when you need him to come through for you desperately (Deut 33:26, 29; Ps 121:1-2; Ps 20:1-2; Ps 33:20; Ps 115:9-11) 
• Most of the contexts are life and death, by the way, and God is your only hope. Your ezer. If he is not there beside you … you are dead. A better translation therefore of ezer would be “lifesaver.” Kenegdo means alongside, or opposite to, a counterpart.
• You see, the life God calls us to is not a safe life. Ask any of the friends of God from the Old Testament. Ask any of the friends of God in the New Testament. God calls us to a life involving frequent risks and many dangers. Why else would we need him to be our ezer? You don’t need a lifesaver if your mission is to be a couch potato. You need an ezer when your life is in constant danger.
• These words reminds us that woman has been entrusted with the life of her husband.  She is to adventure through life by his side, standing by him even at his darkest hour.  With our her, he is lost.

Excerpts from Captivating, John & Stasi Eldridge, chapter two, "What Eve Alone Can Tell"/Session Two

I have always said, since I married my husband, "I AM HIS RADAR".  Until recently, I understood why I would say that.  I always knew that there was more to me than just being his companion, the one who cleans up after him, who puts his things away, who makes his dinner, who washes his clothes, who cares for his sons, who cleans his home, who listens when he is stressed, who prays for him, who cares for him when he is sick... this list can go on....  

I AM JOINED WITH HIM TO ADVENTURE THROUGH LIFE BY HIS SIDE (not in the back seat) HOLDING HIM UP, ENCOURAGING HIM ON, SPEAKING INTO HIS LIFE ALL THE BLESSINGS AND PROMISES OF GOD, WATCHING AND DISCERNING WHAT COMES TO HIM, BEING HIS RADAR - MAKING SURE NO ONE HURTS HIM, MAKING SURE HE DOESN'T WALK INTO HARMS WAY AND IF ANYTHING DOES COME TO HURT OR HARM - I AM NOT TO TURN MY BACK ON HIM, WALK AWAY OR SAY "I TOLD YOU"...

 My husband is a very busy man with his own business to run, many responsibilities in ministry, a wife to attend, children to love on and train up; I have been so selfish in ignoring the fact that he too "needs help" and "gets tired". There are so many things I do not see in his day that, knowingly he hides away. I am reminded, once again, that I am his EZER KENEGDO.   When he sees me, it should be like a breath of fresh air for him.  Our home should be a place of peace and joy that he can walk into.  What I do in our home (homemaking), is just part of the adventure. When he says, "can you do me a favor?", I will respond joyfully because he depends on my help.  If he can't come to me, then who will he go to? 

Will you be your husbands EZER KENEGDO?  Will you dare to ADVENTURE THROUGH LIFE by HIS SIDE?

For His Glory and By His Grace,

Monica

Linked up to the blogs in the "BLOG LINK-UP PAGE" above.

Two Shall Become One & Link- Up

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.²³ “At last!” the man exclaimed.“This one is bone from my bone,    and flesh from my flesh!She will be called ‘woman,’    because she was taken from ‘man.’”²⁴ This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

~Genesis 2:18,21-24~ 

The day I married the love of my life, my husband, it was a dream come true!  We had dated for a good 7 years and thank the Lord kept ourselves for each other.  I clearly remember all that I did to prepare myself for my soon-to-be-husband.  I remember waking up in the wee hours of the morning to get my make-up done and then off to the hair salon.  Back home and preparing myself for what I was about to do.  I really had no clue about what marriage was really all about.  I had many wonderful women around me giving me wonderful biblical advice. As the saying goes you don'y know it, till you live it.

So here I am today almost 9 years married to my wonderful husband and know that we have a long way ahead of us.  There are still so many things we will go through and so many more decisions we will have to make.  A couple of weeks ago something interesting happened that I would like to share with you.

We had a very busy day.  Everyone was up, my husband had already left for work, the boys were making their beds, our usual routine in the morning.  Then schooling.  Lunch.  Sunshine was up from his nap.  Lunchtime for Sunshine while the boys played outside.  Errands.  Food shopping.  Finally I am home.  Now it was time to make dinner.  So as I am in the kitchen, boys are running around (all 3 of them), I am looking at the chicken and my phone rings.  It's my husband. I answer it and he lets me know that he is on his way home.  So I quickly season the chicken and decide it is going to be a BBQ dinner night (that's right I don't have all together)! With the boys running around I quickly send them outside to play, that way this Momma can get a little quiet time (not as in read my bible!.. just 5 minutes of quiet!).

I started making the rice and quickly thought "yay, he's coming... okay when he comes he can...". I knew right then, it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me..."go brush your teeth." YES!  That 's right BRUSH YOUR TEETH! So of course, being obedient, I did.  On my way to the bathroom, I saw my husband was already in the driveway.  SO I quickly ran, brushed and looked in the mirror.  This is what I heard "become his bride again!".  What seemed like minutes were seconds, I looked at myself, and to be honest I was not looking all to sharp, if you know what I mean.  So I quickly fixed my hair, fixed myself up and spritzed some perfume on me.

Ran back to the kitchen and put myself in position at the counter, as if I were there the whole time looking as good as I did!  My husband walks in and looks at me and says (not even joking), "Hellooo....reina... (comes over to me and puts his arms around me)...you look like my bride!" And kissed me. I, of course, smile and feel all giddy inside.  But I couldn't believe he said "I looked like his bride".

And that is when I understood what I needed to do.  Become his bride again, the suitable helper God created me to be for him.  I had let my responsibilities, come before him.  Yes, I am called to be a mother and the keeper of my home, but what about my husband.  I had stopped preparing myself for him, thinking about our relationship, being his "bride".  My husband loves when I look pretty (meaning not looking like I rolled out of bed ALL DAY!) because he knows I took time for myself and in doing that I took time to think about him.  He loves when I ask him if we can have a movie night after the boys are in bed.  He loves when I take care of myself and when I take time to respond to what he wants from me.  I want to be "just right for him" ALL the TIME!

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 Link-Up

I invite you to join me every Monday for this "Two Shall Become One" Marriage Link-Up.

Please share your post on any and all things related to being a wife, i.e. tips for other wives on "becoming your husbands bride", ways to touch your husbands heart/minister to him, dating ideas, what God is doing in your marriage that can bless others, etc. 

Link to your actual post, not just your general blog address. Don't forget to link back, either by using the button below or a text link. You can find the button code below for you to insert in your post or on your side bar.  I hope you would follow this blog and be encouraged weekly to start your weeks as "his bride".

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For His Glory and By His Grace,
Monica

Link-ed up to the blogs on the "BLOG LINK-UP PAGE" above - check them out!

What makes a good wife?

So I read this question on a friends facebook post and thought what a great question!! So I decided to answer what I believe makes a good wife.

I once read "That woman was made from the rib of man, not from his head to rule over him, nor from his feet to be trampled by him, but from his rib to be at his side, his equal, near his heart to be loved by him, under his arm to be protected by him."
OR

Why was it that God made Eve from the rib of Adam? We really don’t know. However, I like the poetic interpretation, which goes like this: "God did not take Eve out of Adam's head that she might rule over him or to be superior to him. Nor did God take Eve out of Adam's feet to be trampled upon by him or that she might be lower than him. But God took Eve out of Adam's side that she might be his equal, and from under his arm that she might be protected by him, and from close to his heart that she might be loved by him." (footnote reads: "Adapted from Matthew Henry, Commentary on Holy Scripture (1708-1710), p. 59. Henry adapted his version from Thomas Aquinas...") -- from http://www.fpcboulder.org/Transcripts/3 ... html#_edn4

Okay so yes this talks about the where she came from but it also gives us insight on what God calls "a wife". IT'S ABOUT CHARACTER or the QUALITIES that a wife should have.

(1) Submissive:

• We must first know how to submit to the Lord in order to know how to submit to our husbands.

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5 NIV

• We should never try to be more than our husbands

"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." Ephesians 5:22-24 (NIV)

(2) To be a "HELPMEET" - one who helps
"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Genesis 2:18

"Each wife, as God’s appointed helpmate to her husband, must draw on who she is in Christ, must be attentive to all the Holy Spirit is teaching her as she reads and studies God’s Word and as she lives in obedience to who God has made her to be. Her’s is a vital role." www.growleaders.org

(3) "PRIDE-LESS"
The last part of the quotation talks about man loving, protecting his wife. Well the way that happens is if we leave our pride - "why do I have to do... after the way he ... to me" etc. at the cross. Marriage is much easier if there is NO PRIDE! We must RESPECT OUR HUSBANDS!
"However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Ephesians 5:33

I truly believe that God has called us to be wives that GLORIFY HIM. In all we do and say to or towards our husbands may it bring HIM GLORY AND HONOR - inside and outside our HOMES!!

MAY YOU BE BLESSED... in your marriage! We can do all things in CHRIST!!!


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