365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 129

A little bit of wisdom applied can go a long way... My awesome hubbie unexpectedly said lets go out for a drink. Sitting face to face with the man you live with day in and day out just doesn't seem to happen enough. He told me his love tank was at rock bottom. Ouch. But God led him to listen to the audio book by Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages-Men's Edition. It was something I had suggested he read after I had read the books and discovered so much value in them. We had such a great heart-to-heart talk and I learned more about what will make him feel loved. However, I know it is in human nature to forget. Life will start creeping it's way back in and around us and I will end up not speaking his love language which we discovered is totally opposite of mine which is words of affirmation. So, what to do, what to do? My first thought is to create a positive affirmation to read everyday and write a prayer card to have at work. Like this challenge of praising God everyday, I am challenging myself to show my love to my hubbie in ways that will fill up his love tank. Lord, help me to shower my husband with the love he can feel. Amen.
Proverbs 17:24 A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 48

How often do we take the people we love for granted? Am I just surviving day to day or am I taking action? My letter pin for the month is "E". After my horrible mood the other day and the lingering discouragement issue, I felt led by God to turn the tables on that by having my daily reminder to be encourgaged and be encouraging. But another "e" word stood out to me and that was 'example'. My husband is a great example of service kind of love. He will get up and do whatever you need. He really is an amazing example of this love language. It's not my dominant love language but we are all capable of doing all the love languages and learn how to do the other love languages more and more. I often have thought maybe I am just 'lazy' but it really isn't a laziness, it's just not my love language but I am going to be working on it. Jesus was the greatest example of this when he knelt down and washed the dirty feet of the disciples. Jesus calls us to put our love into action. I am going to keep a list of the actions I take for others in the next month and see if I can increase those numbers as the month goes on and get better and serving others. Join me and challenge yourself this month to stop and serve whether it be in small ways or big ways.
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will received an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 12

I got a great book about our love languages called God Speaks Your Love Language. I had heard about the love languages but had never read a book about them. What an education that was! I wish I had known what I learned from that book years and years ago. It really helped me to understand the people I loved and how the best way to love them and about me and what love language really speaks to me. I very highly recommend reading any of the love language books so you too can get in on this valuable information. After reading the book, I went through and tried to figure out the dominant love language for those close around me. My daughter was easy to figure out. She is 'Quality Time'. If I balance life well and give her some of my time her love tank is always full. My son was easy too! He is 'Physical Touch'. He loves to hug and be hugged so now into his teenage years I have found other ways to give him a loving touch without the embarrassment issue that teens can have.

My husband was a little more challenging to figure out. I think he is 'Service' which means he is always up doing and helping with any and everything but he read a summary of the love languages and thinks he is 'Physical Touch' so I have to try to give him love in both those ways to try to keep his love tank filled. I bring this all up only because hubbie has been a rock these days with helping me on things, he even becomes the 50's wife stereotype at times like last night and has dinner on a plate for me and has me come in and sit down and serves me dinner. So, today I want to praise my hubbie for all his service-oriented love for me. Although, it is not my dominant love language, having read the book, I am aware of how he shows his love. My husband loves me and I am thanking God for that and him.

Ephesians 5:33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.