Keeping a Spouse Accountable to Godliness

I read an article this morning that goes right along with this concern. But before I post it, I would like to get your feedback.

There are a tremendous amount of marriages that fail. I won’t get on my soapbox and preach about the fact that most of them are doomed to failure from the get-go…(just had to put that in there, though, didn’t I?) In observing couples striving to have godly marriages and raise godly children and continue a growing walk with the Lord after taking on these responsibilities and pressures, I am bothered by a trend…

Wives or husbands who desire growth and godliness and all the while sit back and support or ignore a spouse who doesn’t.

How should a wife or husband deal with a spouse who 1. Claims a genuine faith in Christ and 2. Is consistently disobedient or demonstrates an ongoing apathy to Godliness…

Or, in general, a spouse that doesn’t actually seem to love the Lord at all…?

Two Become One

As you can see from my “Current Reading” widget, I am into Love & Respect right now - a book that has been recommended to me before but I didn’t dive into until a friend put her copy into my hands and said “you gotta read this.” She was right, it’s a must-read for any husband or wife in any stage of marriage. Perhaps you have read it already yourself.

The most surprising change that took place once Philip and I were officially married a year and 1/2 ago was how much my expectations of him skyrocketed. I found that while we were dating and even during engagement (which for us was a rollercoaster three months leaving no time to start building up any expectations yet) we were still allowed to be somewhat selfish about our separate lives. We were not yet “one flesh - two people living a joined life.” Marriage - which is a once-and-for-all solidification of commitment - creates that highest of high belief that your spouse is now not only a life companion but the sole person on earth besides yourself that will have the most influence on your decisions, life experiences, direction, provision, emotions, happiness, accomplishments, satisfaction, and use of time. That person becomes either an invader or a compliment to the life you’ve already been building. The difference is in how you perceive him/her to be and whether or not you made a wise decision in your choice of a spouse.

Wierd December Day

December 26th is a wierd day. Actually, all the days in December following Christmas until the 31st - New Years Eve - are wierd, don’t you think? You’re not really celebrating hard-core anymore but there’s still a holiday feel in the air and you’re sandwiched between two of the largest holidays of the year in a single week. The final days of December are normal and abnormal at the same time. A day like that leaves me at a loss of what to do with myself.

My point? Today feels wierd but it is really just a normal calendar day and I don’t know what to do with myself.

Fortunately, I am being productive through laundry, cleaning, organizing cabinets, replacing old items with new gifts, and hopefully soon i’ll get to that phone interview i’ve been putting off.