This is not the life I should have

Over the weekend, my son and I had the opportunity to work the Compassion table at a youth conference. On Saturday, we were able to hear Lincoln Brewster share a bit about his family life. It struck me when he said, "If they had taken a vote in high school to see who would be least likely to be a worship leader, I would have won that contest."

I could so relate to his statement. I never had any intention of relying on anyone for anything. My goal was to climb the corporate ladder and be one of those 'look, she has it all together career moms'. I know God must have been laughing, because He knew the path my life would take.

Be a stay-at-home mom? No way!

Be a homeschool mom? Not ever in my lifetime!

Minister to children through an organization I had never even heard about in high school? That was something that was never on my radar.

My life is different today than I would ever have thought possible. And I am in awe that God loves me so much that He has allowed me to do things I never thought would be a part of my life. Makes me kind of wonder what other plans He has for my future.

Investing in us

No, this post is not about where to put your money (because we don’t have a lot of money to put anywhere anyway!). This post is about making time for our spouse. You know, the one who leaves the house early every morning so we can stay home to do what God has called us to do. I know that my husband works hard and he deserves more of my time than sometimes I have to give (or am willing to give, which happens sometimes, just being honest here).

A few weeks ago, Kevin and I took the opportunity that we now have an adult child (who could be left to care for his younger sibling), and we went on an overnight getaway to the coast. This was the first time we had left our kids overnight at our home by themselves. We left in the morning on Friday and came back late Saturday afternoon.

13_Mar_me and Kev_001_edit (In my opinion, not the best picture of the two of us, but had to use the self timer on this one and I know the settings were a bit off.)

I know it is not always easy to get away when you are right in the midst of raising up kids, but I do know it is important for our kids to see a healthy marriage relationship. We have made plenty of mistakes over the years (and our kids know this), but we are really working on helping our kids to see that marriage is a life time commitment. It is a choice.

13_Mar_monterey_001_edit

Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” – Ephesians 5:33

Need some ideas on how to invest in your marriage? For a while now, I have subscribed to The Generous Wife’s blog posts. Her blog posts are short, but filled with great tips and encouragement to help you to be a more generous wife. She usually shares a few links also if you want to do a little more exploring on the subject. (There is also a blog for The Generous Husband, if you are interested)

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. - Deuteronomy 15:10

Any tips you would like to share on how you invest in your marriage?