Day 7: Be Content

Friday, October 07, 2011 Aimee Larsen 2 Comments


For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11


Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

As I read the scripture above, so many instances come to my mind of times I have not been content with what I have.  We are always told, that it is okay to want something better, to want something more but according to Hebrews 13:5, that is not so.  If you are reading this, raise your hand if you have ever had a fight with your husband about money or issues related to money.  Whoa!  My hand just shot up and I know yours did too.  Who are we kidding when we walk around in this world and not notice the neighbors "blinged" out car, those beautiful new boots in the store window, or that rockin' new cell phone that has all those cool apps?  Oh, don't get me wrong, I notice them and sometimes I long for them.  I long for things and sometimes (maybe on payday) I just go right out and buy myself something I've been eying for a long time, because you know, I deserve it.  Then, from that moment on I feel guilty, maybe my kids needed new shoes or my husband needs new pants for work or oops, I need to pay a bill.  Ever happen to you?

Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.  Job 1:21
Head:  Sometimes I can not believe how much money and material things consume our daily life and our thoughts.  What is even more disturbing is that when it comes to money we have arguments between ourselves and the one person on this earth we are supposed to be helping!  One of our most precious gifts that we can give to our husbands, is to help them.  God is clear that we are not to worry about money or material things.  Why?  Cause he's got your back!  I'll prove it.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4: 6-7
 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ...  Matthew 6: 25 - 34
 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19
You do realize, I could go on and on and on with the scriptures instructing us not to worry and to cast away our wants and worries for the things that are not of God? 


Heart:  I know it makes us feel good to have something new, to get our nails done, or highlights in our hair and I am by no means telling you not to do these things that you enjoy.  It's cool, as long as you don't fight about money with your husband.  If you are worried during the month about how you are going to pay a bill or are going to fight about money spent, eliminate the source of the problem.  On the flip side, there are times when we can not help but feel overwhelmed about financial worries because sometimes, our co-pays are just too high, our kids are constantly with ear infections, are husbands are diagnosed with sleep apnea, our car blows out a tire, the refrigerator stops running, the air conditioner stops cooling, there's smoke coming from the microwave, etc.  The list of the unexpected could go on and on and I currently have a personal list that I feel like I add to daily, weekly and monthly.    It makes us feel helpless, it makes us resent our situations, it may even make us resent our husbands.  Let's go back and remember what God says about times like these in the scriptures above.

 Hands:     God's got your back, so get off your husbands.  You are meant to work together, to solve problems together and to communicate with kind words.   You are to pray and share your faith with each other and to lift one another in prayer.  If you husband can't or isn't doing it for you, there is NOT one reason you can't do it for him.   Just imagine that I am your friend and that I'm going to stand in front of you and shake you and say "God's got this!  Stop worrying!"  Look for ways that you can be more helpful with managing money or mentally mark off that list of "things" you've been wanting.  When it's your time to have them, God will provide them without causing stress in your marriage.  

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Day 6: Beautiful Anointing

Thursday, October 06, 2011 Aimee Larsen 0 Comments



During my Sunday School class awhile back, one of the teachers of our ladies class taught about anointing and how we can feel dry and empty sometimes.  Don't think for a second that I didn't chase her down in the parking lot after church asking her if she had my e-mail address, a copier or some way to get her notes.  When I say that God is providing our lessons and challenges, I'm not even kidding you.  This is a good one and I want you to read into every detail and study it because I think it goes much deeper than I can express on a blog post.


Head: She graciously gave me her hand written notes and I swore to protect them with my life but explained to her exactly my intention.  She was more than happy to share. 
Sometimes we feel dry (in our marriage or relationship with Christ), we feel like God is nowhere around. Sometimes we feel like we are not anointed at all.  One thing we think about when we think about anointing is oil.  For any number of reasons or any amount of time a marriage can go through a dry spell.  When this happens, what you should study on is anointing and how the oils of anointment are processed and the different ways oil is used.  Olive oil was a staple of the diet in Biblical times.  Deuteronomy 8:8 talks about God delivering the children of Israel into a land of milk, honey, wheat, and olive oil (for sustenance).   God's people went through a very rough dry spell in their desert of testing.  God delivered them.  Olive oil was also used as medicine (for healing) in Luke 10:34 by the Samaritan.  Olive oil was used as lamp fuel (for light) and is the process of purification is described in Lev. 24: 1-2.  Finally, olive oil was used for anointing in religious offerings and rituals. 

Here is the part of her lesson that I was glued to.  I am a very visual person so I sat, picturing and then drawing her illustration of words in my notebook.  I didn't want to forget...
How do we get to the oil or anointing to soothe our dry spell?   The olive tree tells us how.  First, the tree itself must be rooted in the right soil, just as we must be rooted in the Word of God and the tree will grow, mature and blossom producing fruit.  In biblical times, as well as today, the very best fruit is at the top, it is not the fruit that has already dropped.  It is the fruit that must be shaken from the tree.  When the tree is shaken, the olives fall from the tree and must be caught gently before hitting the ground, gathered together and washed.  Then the fruit must be pressed to release the oil, it must be broken so that the pure oil will flow.  The pulp is collected and used again to extract the most precious oil.  It is a time consuming process that requires tremendous pressure.

Just the imagery she used of a tree being shaken made me hold my breath.  Aren't we all shaken?  Aren't we sitting here reading this and thinking of all the ways our marriage has been shaken?  To have even gotten to the point of being shaken, means that your marriage is grounded, it is rooted in something good, has matured and has produced fruit, otherwise, you would not be here at this very moment reading this in an effort to do something good for your marriage.  Has your marriage felt dry?  That's what the oil is for?  How are we going to get that oil?

The oil as described started with the shaking of the tree, some stress has to be applied to force that tree to let go of the fruits it is holding on to in order to move forward in extracting the oil.  What are you holding on too?  Are you bitter?  Are you angry?  Is your marriage dry? is there something or someone weaseling it's way into your marriage to separate you from your husband physically or emotionally?  Are you ready to let go of the things in your life that you are holding on to so that you can move forward?


Heart: Now, remember, when you are shaken and you let go of these things, God is there to catch you when you fall.  He is going to gather up all of the things that have been growing in your life and your marriage and he is going to sort them for you.  He's going to keep the good and throw out the bad and he is going to use the good, healthy, mature, pure and perfect fruits of your marriage.  What God is going to do with those good fruits is wash them, just as Jesus washed us of our sins, God is going to wash your fruits and get them ready.  God is going to put the pressure on so that you will trust Him, lean on Him, call on Him and give your marriage to Him.  After your marriage has been pressed, what will come out of it is the most pure anointing oil to heal your marriage that God could possibly ever give.

I've always said, that I don't like to give the devil credit.  I like to think that God is shaking things up a bit to remind me that He's still there and I still need to be leaning on Him.  The devil can have his way in the lives of someone else but he's not going to mess around in mine.  Jesus walks with me, I hope he's doing the same for you.

This beautiful anointing is coming for your marriage but you have to be ready for the shaking and the pressing.

2 Timothy 1:12
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Head:  Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half lengthwise creating 2 columns.  One column, write everything positive you can think of about your spouse and on the second column, write everything negative about your spouse.  Put this list away in a safe, secret place.  Before doing so, pick one positive thing and thank your spouse today for that very thing.  Please be sure to read your Bible on your own today, find your quite time with God and take notes when he speaks to you. 

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Day 5: Heirs, not Errors!

Wednesday, October 05, 2011 Aimee Larsen 1 Comments


Thanks for Meeting Me in The Laundry Room.  My laundry room is my spiritual closet, where I get down to the heart of matters with God and where I have my best conversations with Him. 

Head: I have had friends tell me over and over, "my husband is my best friend."  I always respond, "Mine too!"  I have to say, I think it would be very lonely marriage if my husband wasn't my best friend.  He's the one that I lean on, cry with, talk to and share everything with.  My girlfriends are a little different, they are REALLY good friends but it's just not the same.

When my husband and I first started dating it didn't take us long to realize that it was LOVE; but along with that was the deep respect we had for each other as friends.  Just like little kids, we were playmates.  We laughed and fought with the best of them.  I still think that the times I love most with my husband are the times I make him laugh.  They may seem fewer and farther between these days but when it does happen, when he laughs at me or with me, sparks fly.  It's like his laughter comes out and spreads through me.  It makes me feel good, my heart swells and I love that he thinks something I said or did was funny.  That's the moment when he also usually says, "I love you!"

So, if these are the moments I love with him, why do I not strive for these moments?  Why do I find myself picking at him and sometimes even taking joy away from him?  Even the meanest husband in the world could use a good laugh.  When I was reading my Bible in preparation for this challenge, I wondered to myself why I don't try harder to have these moments with my husband, I think he'd appreciate it more.
"heirs together in the grace of life" 1 Peter 3:7

Heart: I realize now that it is MY choice, it is in my control as to whether or not my husband and I are "heirs" of the wonderful things life has to offer or "errors" as partners in stress and tension.  Which would would you choose?

For the sake of my marriage and our happiness I want us to grow old together and be "heirs in the grace of life."  I want us to have the bounty of goodness that God wants us to have.  God WANTS us to be happy and love each other and be partners in the life of goodness that He has to offer.   We are our husbands helpers, their friends, and a gift to them from our Gracious Heavenly Father.  We need not spoil it, no matter our circumstances.  God made us to be our husbands helper, made to meet his needs.  We are their companions and playmates, we are there for good conversations.

No matter how hard the climb or struggle, laughter makes it so much easier.  God intends for us to live life with thanksgiving, forgiveness and joy.    When I began to understand this, I began to understand that is how I should also approach our Father.  I will have a much deeper appreciation for my purpose as a wife and that I should approach God and my husband in the same manner, with love, joy and delight.

Hands: Today, start being a "friend" to your husband, his playmate.   All of the pushing away that you have done over time can be undone.  Take into account the previous 4 days and being a friend to your husband will come easily.

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Day 4: In His Image

Tuesday, October 04, 2011 Aimee Larsen 0 Comments

“The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”   Thomas Merton
It's not what we look like, it's how we love.
  A few years ago I had an overwhelming conviction about the image that I was portraying to others.  You never quite know what others think about you until they tell you and sometimes it can be shocking.  While convicted, I wanted nothing more than for others to see God in me.  I want to reflect our Father in all that I do.  That's huge undertaking I know and that's why I prayed.  During my talk with God, I said..."I want to be your worker, a vessel for you to work from.  I want people to see You, when they look at me....When I look in the mirror, I don't want to see me, I want to see You.  I want to reflect your Spirit."  We are to be walking reflections of our Heavenly Father, the Spirit of Christ is to radiate from us.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  Psalms 139:14
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Head:   Let's think for a moment the complexity of what God did.  First, He created us.  He knew that we would want to be close to Him, to want to be like Him and so, he did us the simple favor with the slightest of words and created us in His image.  Our God is a deliberate God.  He does not make mistakes and He wanted more than anything for us to love Him in the same He loves us.  Imagine how much harder it would have been for our simple minds to "relate" to God if were knew were made unlike Him.  He created BOTH male and female in His image.  The thing is, we can look at it as  being like him "physically" or "spiritually" and personally, I'd rather look like him spiritually.  I would rather reflect his glory through my soul than through my looks.  I'm not getting any younger you know.

That brings us to "...we might become the righteousness..."  All along, God's hope is that we never reject Him, that we love Him back and that we trust Him with our souls.  He wants us to become righteous.  Sometimes when I hear the word "righteous" it sounds like it's being used in a derogatory manner.  When in fact, it is something so precious and we give little thought to our own righteousness.  In marriage, we want the same thing...to have a righteous marriage.  How do we do that?  How do we live so that our marriage is righteous?  God spells it out for us.  He doesn't leave us hanging or wondering.  He wants us each to become closer to Him so that when a husband and wife come together, they are closer to Him in righteousness.  There is a reason.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16

 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.  Matthew 18:20
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15: 7

Heart:  God wants nothing more than for us to be His reflection, to be His trusting children.  He has so much in store for us, if we'll only love and trust Him as little children.  As we turn our love towards God, God's love is mirrored towards our husbands.  We begin to see our husbands as God's children as well.  God wants to give your husband the same love He wants to give you.  Should you be just as willing to give your love away as well.  How does it feel when you know your are loved?  How does it make you feel when you don't feel love?   Do you feel more alive, playful, impulsive, free, animated, frisky, thrilled?  The list of how love makes us feel could go on and on.  When we feel loved by God, we feel things like comforted, peaceful, satisfied, thankful and inspired?  Your list may be different than mine but the feelings are universal.  So, should the feelings you express towards your husband.

Hands:  Todays challenge, of course, is in addition to the previous days challenge.  You will still remember to be patient, kind and to find joy.  Today, you will pray for your husband and offer him something that demonstrates your love for him.  Mirror the love that God has for us in your actions, a kind word or something particularly special that simply says "I Love You!"  Personally, I just like to say the words..."I Love You!" as often as possible, with meaning.

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Day 3: Joy Down In My Heart

Sunday, October 02, 2011 Aimee Larsen 2 Comments

I've got the Joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart...

and sometimes it's so deep down I think I lost it.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."  Proverbs 17:22
 
Head: Have you ever noticed that people are so much more beautiful when the smile, no matter how they smile or what their smile looks like.  When people smile from deep within their hearts, they just glow.  Their eyes smile, their face smiles and in a way their whole body smiles.  I've seen some pictures of me not smiling before and if I have the option, I hit the delete button.  No one needs to see me not smiling, it's just not pretty.

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.  John 16:24
I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.   2 Corinthians 7:4
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  Romans 15:13
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.   John 15:11


Heart: A few years ago in the fall I felt like I was dealing with depression.  I had never been depressed before but I felt like I was in a not so sunny place.  Yes, it was the end of fall and that probably had something to do with it.  One day in my laundry room while the washer and dryer were busy humming and swishing and I was unhappily folding tiny undies and way too many towels, I broke down.  I was so unhappy.  I wanted more in my life than this.  I wanted to have  more money, get my nails down, actually pay a beautician...I wanted some new furniture and my carpet cleaned and a bigger car and most of all I wanted my husband to "love me more".  

I know people that have far less than I do and are happy.  They aren't depressed.  They love their homes, their cars and even they appreciate their situations.  They are happy and thankful with what some would consider meager. During my little break down I realized that I was not just running low on joy, I was on empty.  How in the world does someone refill their life with joy?  First, I prayed for God to help me find JOY!  As always, my gracious heavenly Father was faithful and good.  
 
I found joy and my husband loves me!  Yes!  After asking for joy, God started revealing to me that I had so much to be happy about.  In finding my own joy, I was able to spread that happiness and merriment around to my husband and my children.  I found it satisfying to fold tiny undies because my children had undies, I found joy in folding towels, because we were blessed with many towels, I found a since of satisfaction in scrubbing stains from our carpet floors AND I also found that I was putting more effort into my housework and  worrying about my "wants" instead of focusing on the blessings that I already had.  It is always the case, that when I look at my husband with joy in my heart, he extends the same favor.  There is nothing more pleasing to me than to make my husband and children smile and laugh.
 
Hands:  Today's challenge is in addition to previous days of Patience and Kindness.  Love is like a flower, you can't expect it to grow without sunshine.  Has your husband seen your sunshine lately?  Today you will smile.  Pray for joy!  If you can't pressure your husband into loving you, you are going to have to become lovely.  He will love what is lovely to him.   Just like in the beginning of your marriage when you were giddy with love, you will begin to find joy again.  Just like the flower, you are going to cultivate his love. 

As with all challenges, you need to pray.  Find your closet to be alone with God .  If you think you are already joyful, ask for more.  In doing so, God is going to reveal to your heart the beautiful moments in your life that will bring you joy and by adding a smile to your day, your joy is going to spread like sunshine, like a light through your life.

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Day 2: I Don't Want To Be A Sidekick!

Sunday, October 02, 2011 Aimee Larsen 4 Comments


It never surprises me when you think you have something all figured out (or in my case Day 2 typed and ready to launch) and God puts a new spin on things.  This morning my husband and I got the biggest laugh when we heard our littlest boy from down the hall yell "I DON'T WANT TO BE A SIDEKICK!"  Obviously, there is an argument between two brothers and the youngest does not want to be "Robin".  In reality, either one of my boys could be the super hero, not one is more special than the other and both hold a super power that makes them look particularly adorable during a time of need.  At the very moment we heard the dynamic exclamation, I thought "Thank you, God."

It is always so hard to describe the role of a wife.  But you have to think, no one wants to be considered the "side kick" when they know they have equal powers.  Right? Right!  My "super powers" as a wife and mother are different than my husbands "super powers".  However, we work as a team.  In a way, I am his sidekick.  Not because I am less of a person but because he needs me to be and I don't mind.  Truly, I don't mind because I know that without my super powers, he would just be less of a man and no man wants to be less of a man.  I'm always supposed to use my powers to lift him up and make him better than he ever thought he could be.

One of my super powers is kindness.


Head: Just think about how many times have you heard  "Love is Patient, Love is Kind..."?  Yesterday, Day 1, was a day of patience.  It was a day of expressing love through patience.  If you practiced that very challenge, then hopefully kind words were used a little more and you became more conscious of times when you need to be patient. Patience and Kindness are two sides of a coin.  Patience is used to withhold negativity while Kindness is used to bring a blessing.  It is used to make someone feel better.  It is not always innate and does not always come naturally.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:32
 
  • Who has recently shown you kindness in words or actions?  How did you respond?
  • Has there ever been a time when your kindness was misinterpreted?  How did that make you feel?
  • What kindness is God prompting you to show toward your husband today?
A kindhearted woman gains respect... Proverbs 11:16
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the burden from their neck and bent down to feed them.  Hosea 11:4
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self0control.  Galatians 5:22
 Heart: Why?  Because God created you to be your husbands partner.  I always think of the Blake Shelton song, God Gave Me You and I get all emotional.  God gave us our husbands, as much as we'd like to think that we chose them, they are a gift from God.  God gives perfect gifts, in the way that the gifts are perfect for us.  We are also gifts to them just as Eve was God's gift to Adam.  I once heard someone say, "If God created the perfect wife for your husband, would you be her?"  My answer is yes and so should yours be, God does not make mistakes.  We make mistakes in how we handle situations, how we love, and how we think.  God does not change his mind about his gifts.  Being your husbands wife, helper and lover is your divine calling.



When I read Proverbs 18:22 "Whosoever finds a wife, finds a good thing, and obtains favor with the Lord", I read it in awe.  Looking at the words and realize that I am a GOOD THING and my husband obtained God's FAVOR because of me.  Why wouldn't I lift him him, praise him, show patience and speak kind words.  You are a GOOD THING and have caused your husband to find FAVOR with the Lord, so show a little kindness.

Heart: With this in mind you need to look at your husband and find something, anything positive to say to him.  Reach into your heart and find those kind words and gestures that you can do today in addition to being patient. Not only will you be patient and withhold something negative, you will say something kind, something positive and uplifting. You will do this for the next 38 days and for the rest of your life.  We all have our bad days, we are human and flesh.  However, we need to start and continue to be mindful of our super power of kindness.

Here are some additional scriptures on kindness.
Thanks again for meeting me in my laundry room, I hope you'll come back tomorrow for Day 3 and a new challenge. 

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