Encouraging and equipping women over 60 to live their best life!
This post is part 5 of my series on marriage. While it can be read on its own, I encourage you go back and read the four prior to this one. In them, I share with you how I feel God is calling me to talk about marriage. Again I’m a Bible-believing Christian and I…
Mary Clare, my oldest granddaughter who is now 9 and has been making cranberry relish for years, recently reflected: “Oh yes, that’s the best part of making cranberries because they float even though you don’t expect them to.”
I believe God created marriage! I believe that within the structure and boundaries of marriage God transforms us to be who he designed us to be and transforms our spouse to be who God designed him to be. If this is true, which by faith I believe it is, listening to the world and getting instruction relying on the world’s ever evolving and changing views about marriage, can you see how destructive it is. It’s two different things! We are being deceived!
Invite family and friends over, make the old-fashioned turkey dinner and top it off with the perfect pumpkin pie. This menu offers all the parts you’ll need without being so full of vegetables, pies and extra work that you’ll have to start on it a week ahead. Additionally, I’ve included the timetable here so even a novice cook can have everything come out on time.
What I am doing in these first few posts on marriage is laying the foundation. I am trying to lay it out in simple terms. I believe these are the foundational truths of marriage. For me, as I’ve journeyed through marriage and hit rock bottom at times, coming back to the basics and God’s truths has always been the answer. Whether it’s pride, unforgiveness, a hardened heart, self-loathing, getting caught up in people pleasing, wanting to throw in the towel, you name it, I’ve probably experienced it. 30+years is a long time!
At its core, this is really what the Best-Life Project is about. Realizing what you want and being happy with it. When we know what we want our future to be, it helps us make decisions today that move us toward that end goal. Ten years from now, even two years from now, my vision for my future may change. I may be tired of dealing with workers and customers. I may want to travel more. But for today, I’m good.
In this series I hope to open your mind. I want you to gather all the facts. My goal is for you to see that marriage is so much more than the Fairytale, Prince Charming stories, or that the reason to get married is to have kids. Because, if that was you’re “why,” what happens to your marriage when the kids grow up and leave home.
I’m going to pray about my podcast and see if the Holy Spirit answers. Lord, what do you want me to do with my podcast?” I waited and I listened, and I swear I heard him say: “I want you to talk about marriage. I want you to help women that don’t want to get a divorce.” It was so real. I’m like what? I wrestled with the idea and thought and thought! I knew I wasn’t going back to sleep. So, I got up quietly, I didn’t want to wake up my husband, and I came downstairs to my desk. I just started writing. I wrote for over four hours. It was the most amazing time. I could feel God’s presence. I wrote down what I feel God put on my heart. It was such a beautiful time.
I’ve counted it up and my clothing went to more than 10 different people and causes. From fellow speakers, family members, single moms, friends, and women in need. This was neither a fast nor simple process, but, as my sister said, “I know I am always happier to give my treasured items away when I see them going to someone who will love and appreciate them.”
Fall brings on a little melancholy. I struggle with being as productive as I want to be. Instead of “falling hostage” to it, I have chosen to embrace it and work through it. I am also thankful for a little rule I learned to help me in those August, September, and October months to help me stay focused. It is called “The Five-Minute Rule.”
