Happy Birthday to the most handsome, clever, sexy (oh that's right I went there) funny, witty, dedicated, determined, loving, sweet, thoughtful, kind, great shrimp dish chef, smart, best daddy ever, my husband Michael. You are God's great gift in my life, and blessed is the day that you noticed me. I love you Mr. West more now then ever.
"One of the greatest illusions of our time is that love is self sustaining. It is not. Love must be fed and nurtured, constantly renewed. That demands ingenuity and consideration, but first and foremost, it demands time." DM
Over this past weekend my husband asked me to sit and watch the movie Rocky Balboa (which in all honesty I had no desire) so I did. I was pleasantly surprised over the underline message and being me took that message of character and turned it towards marriage (where character seems to lack in many). Where this seems to be a day and age where people consider their happiness over their character, and forget that character produces long-term joy and peace, which is a goal that God set. Sure I have had some moments in my life where I prayed that they would pass, they were hard, and I wanted them to be different, but looking back on them I realize that those were the moments when God was growing me. I was being conformed to the image of Christ.
Choosing character over happiness means:
*God gave you your mate to make you holy, not happy (happiness flows from holiness)
*Marriage is the best tool I know for making you more like Jesus.
*Marriage builds character through patience and endurance.
*Character is not built overnight and neither is your marriage. It takes more than just a couple of years; it takes a lifetime.
*No one will ever know you better then your spouse. They are a partner in character development and can help you quickly identify chinks in your armor.
Always choose character even when it leads you down a difficult, painful, or hard road. The person who is constantly looking for the easy way out is not going to become all they are created to be. Don't try to change your husband, the worst thing about trying to change him is that those attempts create a unsafe place in your marriage, insecurity within him, and can create walls to push you and your attempts of change away. Trying to change your marriage could make your marriage worse and open the opportunity to failure. What I have learned is that we influence change in others far more powerfully by our own changes, ones they can see have really worked on us. Focusing your husband to change any area is going to be a conflict. Promise that you are through beating your husband to change, and from now on you work on yourself. As God starts a shaping your character , you will be at peace. That will bring the happiness and joy you are craving. Change begins with in us, not him, and by our actions of love, respect, and nurturing our husbands, they will be drawn and God will work on their character not us.
