Sacrifice is about laying down your life when no one will even know.
Day 286
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Month: October 2011
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Sunday Scriptures
But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:3
Day 285
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Saturday Sayings
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. ~ Winston Churchill
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Separate and Married?
I was sitting in the airport a couple days ago, people watching. And I saw several older couples who looked very cute together. They looked like each other, they talked similarly, and you could see that they loved each other. It seems this is getting more and more rare today.
And I think some of it may stem from the fact that many couples lead separate lives. Husband works in his job and spends more time with his female coworkers than he spends with his wife. His wife works and it’s the exact same issue. They both have different friends. Wife goes and hits the gym with her friends while hubby hits the bar with his.
I think this is one of the biggest downsides to the industrialized and materialistic age. Husband has to be away from home for half of his waking hours, and the same for the wife. When being husband and wife is not about being one flesh, but both continuing your own little separate visions the marriage dies.
For instance, divorce is a huge problem in the homeschool community. At first, that surprised me. But I spent several minutes reflecting on it and it all made some sort sense. Here’s the wife throwing herself into her children and hubby doesn’t get in the way. Eventually, wife is spending all her waking hours worrying about her children’s education. Husband is not even connected and could care less whether she homeschools or not. And then he’s not supporting her so she begins to depend on her children for emotional support. He doesn’t support her so whenever he gets home from work she’s frazzled and stressed. And then he goes looking for some woman who will take care of his needs and isn’t always stressed/the internet. And that’s the story..
This is a huge problem. People forget that they are one flesh. They live out separate lives and don’t invest in the marriage relationship. I think it would be better to lose your children rather than to lose your marriage. But I think when you are investing in your marriage and work together as one flesh, the importance of raising your children as Godly men and women will come.
We need to stop thinking of marriage as a partnership where we are going into a merger for reasons that benefit both of you. I think it’s much more than that. And now I’ll go back to my state of not being married and quit posting on this.. <_< lol
Day 283
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Thankful Thursday
As I sat in an airplane yesterday looking out on the little mountain range of clouds and stared out on the beautiful blue horizon, it reminded me just how blessed we are.
When I lay down outside on our trampoline late at night listening to the Rockies play over the radio I see beautiful stars. And I’m just blown away that God made this for us. If God didn’t create these stars and sent out the light, we wouldn’t see them for thousands of years. (It saddens me when people try to turn the story of Genesis into an allegory. They try to reduce the amazing glory of God and don’t believe that he could be God and all powerful in that way.)
And as I sit and watch stars shoot across the sky I remember that, that could be our sun. We could be snuffed out in a second. Then I think of how God has placed our sun in such a particular place that if it was any closer we would burn up, or if it was any farther away we would freeze.
I hear the howl of coyotes in the distance and it reminds me of how many incredible species God has created. Strong elk, diligent little ants, funny otters, spectacular sea creatures, cute kittens, and wonderful dogs are just a small sample.
And then I look up and see the tops of the trees and think of the multitude of useful resources we have been given. Gorgeous diamonds, rich oil, majestic trees, and hundreds of others are just another small picture of how God has provided for us.
In the end, I look at how beautiful this world is and marvel at what it must have been like before the fall. When the curse of the fall didn’t make every step forward incredibly difficult and thorns didn’t rip at our flesh as we till the ground. Seeing how God has given us this amazing world, I look forward to seeing the even more amazing work he has made for us in heaven. And all of it due to the work of Christ’s death and resurrection. That’s what gives me hope as I fight the good fight.
What gives you hope today?
Day 282
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Types of Love
Love is an interesting topic. Today, it seems many associate the word love with the idea of lust or an Eros love. Whenever I read an article about some Father/daughter ball there’s always some pervert in the comments saying that a father who loves his daughter is without doubt loving her in an Eros way. But why do they say this?
Because this is all they can know or understand. They see a close friendship between men as running along the ragged edge of homosexuality. They can’t see a relationship as being more than a way of satisfying ones’ self.
There are basically three types of love. One is the love of Eros. It’s lust, a selfish and fulfilling ones own desires in lust. Should one as a Christian ever have an Eros type of love? No. We aren’t perfect of course and must lead a repenting life. But how about the marriage relationship?
Even in marriage, where sex is a good thing we do not have an Eros type of love. Why? Because it is selfish. It’s a fulfilling of ones own desires. In the marriage relationship (which I have so much experience in…..) you are trying to follow the example of Christ and his church, laying down your life. You’re not filling ones own cup of selfishness.
As Christians we must practice an agape and phileo love. An agape love that lays down our life for others. (Ephesians 5:25) It loves even when we want to quit. Phileo love is the love that tenderly loves. The one that most friendships are built on. The kind that we have for our Lord. (John 16:27) A love for others. Not a love that is driven by lust and self satisfaction. And ultimately, I believe those who have not experienced the amazing self-sacrificing love and affection of Christ will ever be able to truly understand what it is.
Pic of the day:
Day 281
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Hunting
I went hunting. Yay! First time. Well, I didn’t hunt, but I went with my sisters who had tags. There were several things I learned.
One, I learned that hunting is not necessarily about getting the animal. I kind of went into it wanting to get an animal, which is part of it. But because I set that as my end goal, I came away from the first day with some dejection. But then I reflected on the fact that God brings the animals. It’s not as if we can control the patterns of an animal. God will bring them. We need to do our best to be there when the animals come. Know to sit downwind and all the other tricks of the trade.
It’s the same as life. You can do your best, but at some point you have to realize that God brings the increase. It was a good lesson for me this week.
I also learned that safety is a good thing. It keeps you from shooting yourself/your friends. But it can also keep you from shooting the elk. Another lesson for real life. It’s easy to use the wrong tools for the right situation. Or the right tools for the wrong situation. It’s hard to be balanced.
I learned that I like fires. Especially when you’re in the dark, on your twentieth match wondering if you’re ever going to get the fire started.
I learned that I’m really small. Looking out on the long mountain range and seeing the many stars while shivering in the dark during the wee hours of the morning you remember just how wimpy and small you are.
Overall, a great time. I’ll probably go next year. But I’m more of a hunter who comes for the fellowship, rather than the love for the chase..
Pic of the day:
Day 280
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Lazy Day —-
Leisure is the time for doing something useful. This leisure the diligent person will obtain the lazy one never. ~ Benjamin Franklin
Day 279
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Sunday Scriptures
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:4
Day 278
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Saturday Sayings
Justice is always violent to the party offending, for every man is innocent in his own eyes. ~ Daniel Defoe
Day 277