Valentine's Day

First of all, I desire to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to my lovely wife, Ann. She has been and continues to be a blessing to me and in a few weeks we will celebrate 42 years of marriage. I am thankful for the day that God brought her into my life and I am thankful for the day that God awakened the true Biblical sense of love, honor, respect, and caring in my heart for her. We have been blessed tremendously as we have walked this road together. Each of those 42 years have been spent in the Ministry and God has rewarded our lives in so many ways and I rejoice in His blessings today.

 

Valentine's Day allows us to reflect on the love that we have for our spouse, our family, our friends and our local church family. We are able to recognize the role that loves plays in our lives and the importance of those people with which we share that love. I would encourage you to take a little extra time and remember those people that God has placed in your life for His unique purpose and plan. I realize that the "bad" people of our world garner all of the attention but we must remember that each of us have been blessed to encounter many "good and wonderful" people who have definitely made a difference in our lives. We may need to step out of our comfort zone and let these "good" people know that we love and appreciate the contribution that they have made to our lives. Several people immediately come to my mind as I am typing these words to share with you through this blog post. Do not let your thoughts remain buried in the recesses of your mind. Use some form of communication (card, note, email, text, phone call, etc.) to express your thankfulness to them. Your thoughtfulness in this expression of appreciation will bless you as well as bringing a smile to their face and a sense of knowing that someone cares. Trust me on this one, the individuals who receive the communication will be encouraged and strengthened.

 

Yesterday I shared some thoughts from Dr. James Dobson concerning our marriages. I would like to share five (5) more inspirations from his understanding of marriage relationships.

6. Trust one another and build reasonable boundaries -- jealousy and trust rarely co-exist. 

7. Avoid alcohol or substance abuse, pornography, gambling and other potential addictions that will quickly kill your marriage and your life. 

8. Be content with having enough -- “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (Proverbs 30:8). 

9. Think of your marriage as a marathon -- you will need determination and faith to go the distance of a lifetime. 

10. Keep Christ at the center and remember His words, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).