Stop, Drop and Pray.

I was reminded the other day about how some of our relationships go in cycles, especially with our spouses. Sometimes in the heat of things it is easy to blame the other for things that are not done, for expectations that are not fulfilled and for lack of communication, respect or what we feel should be priorities. As a wife and mother, my be all, do all, say "yes" to all and keep it all together, balanced and functioning... often gets a little overwhelming! We constantly are trying to fit it all in, organize it, keep it together and make it run smoothly and when it doesn't we often jump to our spouse as being unhelpful, not understanding, or just not supportive of all that we do- however, we are the ones who are creating "all that we do, and setting the tone for our spouse and families expectations, and when we can't deliver or something doesn't turn out right we often blame the other for lack of help/support. As we know guys want to fix things when they are "broken" and when they can't... it becomes a battle of our differences... That is what makes us unique. That is what makes us men and women...we have different strong points and different views... but we need to use those most often to compliment and build up the other person. But as humans we have our faults. We can get wrapped up at times in what our duties are and which our husbands should be doing or recognizing to help us out running our household. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. We each have our own place in our marriage. Next time I am ready to blame, have a pity party because I "do it all" or because I am lacking the fulfillment that only God is able to give me, I need to stop and instead of getting frustrated, yelling, hurting my spouses feelings... I need to stop, evaluate, reflect and pray for our marriage, for him, and for our family and thank God for His guidance and wisdom. It is easy to get caught up in the now at times, but we also need to be grateful for the past and the future. My mom lost my dad when she was 45, I have friends that have lost their spouses in their 30's and early 40's... it is easy to forget how blessed I truly am to have a spouse in my life, to be supported and to not HAVE to do it all by myself, because I am not... in the heat of a moment or in the selfishness of the overwhelming moment I am experiencing because I created my own chaos by saying yes to so much... that is not my spouses fault- men don't tend to commit to things out of loyalty and obligation, they commit to things they know they can handle or accomplish. My goal this week is to stop whenever I am looking feeling overwhelmed and continuously pray for guidance, and be grateful for the many things surrounding me, rather than lose focus, get frustrated, and blame. I cannot control how my family reacts to any given situation but I can control how I act, which may totally change the dynamics of how they respond. I am the glue of my family, my attitude and responses reflect their attitude and responses. As God directs the man to be the head of the household, I am the glue that holds it together. God help me today to think clearly and exercise self-control and look forward to all the blessing that surround me this day, I want to be an example to my family and bring sunshine to the lives of others, help me to be a praying wife and mother who builds her family up and doesn't break it down.