Monday, February 25, 2008

Never Judge A Book By It's Cover

My Knight once told me, "Never judge a book by it's cover." We were only 16 at the time. How can someone be so wise at the age of 16? If you are interested in how we met and courted, check my entry called, How I Met My Knight.

He was different than all my guy friends. There was something about him. Even at that age, he had this presence about him. He was intelligent. He had a dry humor, uniquely his own. He was good in every sport. He had his private pilot license. At the age of 10 he was the one that did the budget for his family and paid all the bills. He knew how to have fun, but was level headed enough not to do something just for the sake of doing it. He had two jobs. He worked at Burger King and as a security guard. He knew how to enjoy his off time. Before he had a car, he would ride his bike to the beach. Which happen to be 11 miles away. Yep, he rode that on a ten speed bike. He was into martial arts. He was also quite the marksman. He was quiet and I'd even say shy. He was a young man of few words. But when he spoke, one would want to hear what he had to say. He had a way about him. I didn't take the time to look "inside" the book. I can't believe I almost let him slip through my fingers.

He didn't hang around with the popular kids in school. He had his lifelong friends and that was good enough. He started the Aviation club in high school. He was part of the honor society. For him there was no need to "belong" to what other's thought were the "in" clubs. He was fine being who he was. For him, honesty was the best policy. When he spoke the truth, it wasn't blunt, it was just matter of fact. He was right of course, but I was not use to that. I was use to things being sugar coated. People agreeing even though they really didn't agree deep down. In essence, I was use to people being untruthful. He was different. He was what I needed, but I didn't realize it.

He was a handsome young man. But I was judging him by what I saw, what I noticed. I didn't give him the chance to really get to know him. He was right, I should not have judged a book by it's cover. But God is good... ALL the time. He knew that we were meant to be. We had been given a third chance.

When we got married he was 19 and I was one week away from turning 19. So "officially" I was 18. This Spring & Summer my Knight and I will be celebrating our 45th birthday and our 26th wedding anniversary. I know many at our wedding were thinking, "No way is this going to last. They are too young. What's the real reason they are getting married so quickly? They are crazy!" The only ones who gave us their full support was my family. All I have to say is, that we have never regretted getting married so young. We have grown together as a couple. We have been there for one another every step of the way. We encouraged each other. At that young age, we knew our love was a special love. The one people dream of and hope for. We were blessed to have found it while we were young. We are even more blessed that we still have that same, dare I even say deeper love and understanding for one another.

My cup runneth over...

My heart's desire is for our children to be, even more blessed than what my Knight and I have been blessed with. For their marriage to have the unconditional love that is written in Scriptures. The unconditional love my Knight and I have for one another. May they be blessed tenfolds. May their children and generations to follow them be blessed too.

Friday, February 22, 2008

30-Day SEX Challenge

I'm sure by now many have heard of the pastor of a little church in Florida. He proposed a 30-Day SEX Challenge to his congregation. I'm sure this raised lots of eyebrows, I know that it did with me. I found this interesting. So I went to their site to check it out.

At first, my Knight and I thought, "What if you aren't married?". Well, he challenged those that aren't married to a 30-Days of Abstinence. Imagine that! What a concept! My other thought was, "What about those that can't keep up with the 30-Day challenge because of health reason?" Not that I have a problem with this. LOL! RABBIT CHASING: Years ago while we were in a couples Sunday School class, the subject of intimacy with your spouse came up. Someone mentioned something and I blurted out "Oh we don't have a problem in that department!". I still can't believe I said that! To this day (15+ years later) they haven't let me live it down.

RABBIT BACK IN THE CAGE: I want to be the wife, mom & woman God wants me to be. So aside from reading His Word, I read books and articles about being a better wife, mom and woman. I don't do it fore me, I do it for my loved ones. BUT, by doing it for them, it blesses not only them, but it blesses me too. By having a good and healthy relationship with my Knight, we are setting an example for our children.

This 30-Day challenge is not only a sex challenge. It's an intimate, soul searching challenge with yourself and your spouse. Can't get any better than that! God has a wonderful way of putting things together. The online devotions I received, all had to do with my entry's topic. It's not because it's been on the news lately, cause some of the devotions came from books that were already written. It's a God thing.



I'll share this one with you today...

Chemical Reaction

My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding; that you may observe discretion.
-Proverbs 5:1-2


High school chemistry taught me a very valuable lesson: When certain substances come into close contact they can form a chemical reaction. I proved that one day during my senior year of high school when I dropped a jar full of pure sodium off a bridge into a river and nearly blew up the bridge. You'd think I would have at least had enough sense to step off the bridge!

"What I've learned since then is that many people don't respect the laws of chemistry any more than I did back then. They mix volatile ingredients without giving much thought to the explosion that could occur. In particular, many married people don't understand that a chemical reaction can occur with people other than their mates. Don't misunderstand me here-I'm not just talking about sexual attraction. I'm referring to a reaction of two hearts, the chemistry of two souls.

"This is emotional adultery-an intimacy with the opposite sex outside the marriage. Emotional adultery is unfaithfulness of the heart. When two people begin talking of intimate struggles, doubts or feelings, they may be sharing their souls in a way that God intended exclusively for the marriage relationship. Emotional adultery is friendship with the opposite sex that has progressed too far.

"Often it begins as a casual relationship at work, school or even church. A husband talks with a female co-worker over coffee and shares some struggles he's facing with his wife or kids. She tells of similar problems, and soon the emotions ricochet so rapidly that their hearts ignite and can ultimately become fused together as one. To those who have experienced it, this catalytic "bonding" seems too real to deny.

"You can take some steps to practice discretion in these matters. That's what I'll discuss in the next devotion.

Prayer:
"That God will give you wisdom and discernment to know when you might be risking a "chemical reaction."

Discussion:
In what situations can Christians find themselves committing emotional adultery?

By Dennis and Barbara Rainey
Moments Together For Couples