Hello again, everyone! I hope you've been doing well and enjoying the Fall weather.
This is the time of year when lots of weddings take place. They're beautiful to witness and fill my with a to of joy. I can't hep but to think when I'll be the one in a white dress surrounded by family and friends. I've always been one to dream about my future wedding and yes, I already have a wedding Pinterest board although I don't even have a boyfriend currently. I know I am completely jumping the gun on that part. But, I do know that God has an amazing man in mind for me and he is preparing the two of us for a great journey. Lately, I've been thinking about the power of praying for my future husband. Life is tough and filled with temptation and brokenness. It's important for me to ask God to protect and encourage my future spouse so he doesn't despair and lose hope. I want him to be so close to Jesus in every situation and be able to feel his immense love and presence. I am already praying that I will be a wife who listens well and forgives easily. I want my future marriage to be established in God and I pray that the two of us are united in sharing God's love with everyone and being sources of light in an oftentimes confusing world. So here's the prayer I've been praying for my future husband and our future marriage.
Heavenly Father,
You are the ultimate matchmaker. I know You already have my soulmate in mind for me. Whether or not we have already met each other, I ask that You would bless him immeasurably more than all he could ask or imagine. I ask that he will know Your great love for him and be encouraged and strengthened to follow You every day of his life. I ask that he would run to You and not to worldly temptation and sin. Please bless his family and friends and may they encourage him to always seek Your heart in all things. Heal any brokenness, bitterness, and resentment, Lord. I ask that his family will look to You for guidance and support.
Lord, I ask that you will prepare me to be a Proverbs 31 wife. May I learn to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. May I be a wife who constantly supports her husband in all things and yields to his leadership. I ask that my own pride and ego will be shut down in order to better listen and understand others, especially my husband. May I learn to forgive easily without holding any grudges or keeping score. Give me your patience and compassion so I can learn to see things from other people's point of view. I know I will fail You and fail my husband, but I promise I will not give up on doing my very best each day to love You and love my family.
Father, I ask that my marriage will be rooted deeply in You alone. I ask that my future husband and me will not look to compare our marriage with others, but to instead rely on You for guidance and help. We cannot make it if You are not first and foremost. Jesus, be near to us when we fall or fail and help us to not blame each other or our situations when married life gets tough. Help us to see the humor and joy of daily living and be faithful and lifelong companions for one another. I ask that our marriage will be filled with lots of laughter and sweet memories together. When the time comes, and you blesses with children, help us to be parents that point our kids to You. Give us grace when we mess up with our children and help us to raise kids who are fierce about following You and being kind to others. May they be bright beacons of light, joy, and hope to a world that desperately needs You. Knit us together as a family and remove any bitterness, envy, or division in our hearts, so we can love each other in deep and intentional ways. In Your precious name.
Amen.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Monday, October 16, 2017
Loving Others Behind Their Back
Welcome back to my blog, ya'll! I hope your week is off to a wonderful start.
I'm going to be completely honest with you: Sometimes I act like I'm on stage or in a play/movie wen it comes to loving others. It's one thing to be nice and polite to others, but it's an entirely different thing to be patient, understanding, gentle, and merciful. It's even harder to do so when I know they aren't looking at me. Take this situation at the grocery store for an example: A young lady is in front of me in the checkout line, talking on her phone, trying to talk to the cashier at the same time, then arguing with the cashier that one item was definitely on sale and she refuses to leave until talking with the manager, et cetera et cetera. What is her problem? Why is she so rude? Why can't she shut up and walk away? I'm scowling at her and rolling my eyes until she turns around and I flash a smile at her.
It makes me sick that I can be so two-faced. I can be so fake and yet I know Christ calls me to live a life of godliness, patience, kindness, and compassion. I don't know what that lady at the store is going through. Maybe things are really tough for her and all she needs is someone love on her in a genuine and real way. I could have shown her how much God loves her by simply being a source of light and kindness to her, yet i completely blew it. Jesus even scolds people for being two-faced and only loving those who love them back. "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (John 5: 46-48) The point Jesus is trying to make is be loving to everyone especially behind their backs. Love on others even if they don't realize you're loving them.
It takes time and practice to live a life of placing other people's needs and wants over your own. It's not easy, but God promises us that he will help us show other people His unending love for them. We are called to be the light in an oftentimes dark and lost world. We can all make this world a better place to live by loving others behind their backs and watching others flourish from the amount of love and care we put into them. We all need love.
Verses:
"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." -1 John 4:19-21
"As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." -Luke 6:31
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." -John 13:35
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." -1 Peter 4:8
Be stubborn about fearlessly loving others with a sincere and grateful heart.
-Chloe
I'm going to be completely honest with you: Sometimes I act like I'm on stage or in a play/movie wen it comes to loving others. It's one thing to be nice and polite to others, but it's an entirely different thing to be patient, understanding, gentle, and merciful. It's even harder to do so when I know they aren't looking at me. Take this situation at the grocery store for an example: A young lady is in front of me in the checkout line, talking on her phone, trying to talk to the cashier at the same time, then arguing with the cashier that one item was definitely on sale and she refuses to leave until talking with the manager, et cetera et cetera. What is her problem? Why is she so rude? Why can't she shut up and walk away? I'm scowling at her and rolling my eyes until she turns around and I flash a smile at her.
It makes me sick that I can be so two-faced. I can be so fake and yet I know Christ calls me to live a life of godliness, patience, kindness, and compassion. I don't know what that lady at the store is going through. Maybe things are really tough for her and all she needs is someone love on her in a genuine and real way. I could have shown her how much God loves her by simply being a source of light and kindness to her, yet i completely blew it. Jesus even scolds people for being two-faced and only loving those who love them back. "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (John 5: 46-48) The point Jesus is trying to make is be loving to everyone especially behind their backs. Love on others even if they don't realize you're loving them.
It takes time and practice to live a life of placing other people's needs and wants over your own. It's not easy, but God promises us that he will help us show other people His unending love for them. We are called to be the light in an oftentimes dark and lost world. We can all make this world a better place to live by loving others behind their backs and watching others flourish from the amount of love and care we put into them. We all need love.
Verses:
"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." -1 John 4:19-21
"As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." -Luke 6:31
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." -John 13:35
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." -1 Peter 4:8
Be stubborn about fearlessly loving others with a sincere and grateful heart.
-Chloe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)