Heart to Heart

I don't know what it is about not being able to sleep lately, but believe it or not - I am grateful for it. Spending Christmas in Colorado was a dream come true for our family, the snow, the snow, and yes, the snow! It was on this trip that my husband and I had many nights where we just couldn't sleep. Now I know there are some people with some interesting ideas about why this happens and the purpose behind it - but I don't care. :) I do care about the fact that we had amazing conversations at yes, 2:00 a.m. It was a great time where we just talked, talked, and talked some more about the direction we want our life to go, together, united, as a couple. Sometimes life in the "normal" hours gets to be crazy so I am thankful that we were both wide awake in the wee hours to just enjoy, plan, dream, and unite together. So here is what I am asking you - when is the last time you and yours have spent hours just talking about your future together - regardless of the time of day? What we have to say to each other is important, but the time we spend listening is truly valuable - priceless - and something I am going to make sure we do more of in the future. Here is to 2010 - let us talk, talk, talk and more importantly, listen to one another. This time together is precious - appreciate it - Team Lowrie :)

Exhausted!

What is it about turning 30 that has made my body morph into this sloth of a being......and that was 4 years ago! I don't know about you but when I walk by my bed in the afternoons around 1:30ish I can hear it calling my name - and I often give in to an unproductive nap - and forget about doing anything after I wake up because I always feel worse than before. What is that about? And yet, knowing this, I still go for the nap any day over being productive.

Can't it be the same in our marriages? We hear other things calling for our attention, pulling us away from what we were truly created for, and that is glorifying God, living - not sleeping - for Him! Can it be exhausting - yes! Can it be disheartening - at times - yes! Can it be our number one priority in life? Not if we are sleeping through the day. Okay, so maybe you are full of energy and don't need that "power nap" - ha! What about other things that steal your time away and can leave you feeling empty and even exhausted.

How can I be a fantastic wife for my husband, when I can't even lift my head from that pillow? How can I show my husband how much I truly love him, when I want to hop in my favorite t-shirt and wrap myself up in a never ending blanket - alone? There comes a time in our lives when we have to wake up to the reality of what we want our marriages to look like and do something about it - work through it - make it happen - stay stong and get our strength from the strongest One we know. The One who called Peter out of the boat. The One who called Lazarus from the dead. The One who is calling out to us - but we are just too tired to notice and we suffer, our relationships suffer, and that is not the kind of life I want to live.

Together we can encourage others to get excited about doing something fun in our marriages, trying something new, planning a surprise, remembering the forgotten moments that endeared us to our husbands in the first place - it's time for us to wake up, literally, and start a new chapter of excitement. Push the sleepyness aside, walk past that bed without jumping in it, and do something fun that will make you thankful that you missed your nap for the day!

Have fun and get excited - love you - H.

Detour

So I am taking a detour for just a day to talk about something that has been on my mind lately. I am working on The Inspired Mom and this is something that I feel led to share. Obedience. Let me just say this - Obedience is a process - it doesn't happen over night - it can't happen overnight - we are all sinners saved by grace - sinners - disobedience is in our dna - and not just ours but our childrens too! Yes, the bible says for children to obey their parents in the Lord - but too many times we add - obey your parents "the first time" and it isn't in the scripture. When is the last time we obeyed the Lord as adults "the first time".........and here we are trying to expect a two year old to do the same - it just can't happen and you will exhaust yourself physically and emotionally trying to do it. Obedience is biblical - absolutely! Obedience is required - absolutley! But bedience shouldn't be "forced" especially from a two year old who is trying to figure out how to say the word "please" let alone "obey the first time". Yes, we need to train up our children, and part of that training includes showing mercy and grace to a growing child, teaching them to love the Lord, giving them a foundation in Christ that is unshakable, and guiding them down a path created just for them by their heavenly Father! After all, Jesus never "forced" anyone to do anything and neither should we.

Have you ever tried to "force" your husband to do something you wanted him to do? Where the results disasterous?!?!? Have you ever been "forced" to do anything? How did that make you feel?!?!? Didn't you just want to do the complete opposite to prove a point......well my sweet ones, children have those feelings to0 and when anyone - especially their parents try the same tactics it can often be disasterous and yield the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish. Bring the focus back to where it should be - loving the Lord with all you heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and the best way to teach anyone that, even your own child, is to show them first. What are you showing your child?

Identity Crisis

What does your life look like?
Not just to you, but the people who get a glimpse into your world.

When it comes to your life, and the choices you have, the decisions you make, what is at the center of your very existence?

Are you basing your decisions on what "they" think?
Are you parenting because that is how "they" parent?
Are you volunteering because "they" will be THE volunteer?

As women of the word of God, we need to take the "t" and the "y" out of "they" and focus on the "h" and the "e" - our Creator - HE loves us and wants us to live for HIM - end of story.

HE is what we need to be thinking about
HE is what we need to be basing our decisions on
HE is who will let us know if we are raising our children up for HIM
He wants us to live our life according to HIM - not THEM

Not the people in your MOPS group, not the leaders of the studies, not the critical voices, not the second looks, not the people at work, or the moms at playgroup. He didn't create an existence of Eve's in the Bible, we are all a piece of his creation, unique, a reflection of his image and no one elses.

I once had a friend ask me what it means to truly have a heart that is living for our Savior and I think when we can let go of the "they" in our life then we can focus on the "he" that created our life and everything else will fall into place because our identily will be in him, and no one else.

You're all this heart is trying to live for -
Heather

United We Stand!

Divorce - We can all say we know someone who has suffered through it. While you are reading this post, in this very moment, a couple somewhere is making that decision. It is clearly no one's place to judge or place blame on one person over the other, but sides are taken, the peace is broken, and two lives and those around them will never be the same.

Is there such a thing as "Divorce Proofing" your marriage? I can't answer that question, but what I do know is that there is something I can do for my husband, my marriage, today that will make a difference in his life for the better, tomorrow. I can be responsible for what I choose to do or not do every single day that we are married.

What about you? What have you done lately for your husband? We can all come together and realize that doing nothing will create just that, nothing. I don't know about you, but I don't want a "nothing" marriage. When I said my wedding vows I meant something and they meant everything to me. We need to get it together and hold on to the moments, the little things, that will carry us through the tough times.

If you have been divorced, it is in the past and know that you are loved, you can heal and you can love again. There is also a beautiful word - reconciliation - and with God, all things are possible!

Love ya always,
Heather

Thankfulness

It is hard to believe it is already Thanksgiving! Hopefully you are getting in that holiday spirit and not letting the stress creep up on you already. How easy it can be to forget about the blessings we have been given.

Take some time this month to keep an ongoing list of what you have been blessed with. Sometimes the simple reminder of what we have can help us stop thinking about what we don't.

How are things with your husband? Do you need to get together and actually have a REAL conversation about the holidays and what your expectations should and shouldn't be. Take some time to figure out where the next couple of months are heading, what your budget is for gifts, and most importantly, finding time together in the madness of the season.

I am thankful for you! :)

What happened?

Yep - what happened? How is it possible that the summer is almost completely over. As we start that never ending journey of school shopping I am looking forward to spending some precious time with the ladies of New Edition. We will be joining together on Wednesday nights to become Inspired Wives.

I am super excited about spending time with these precious girls again, and look forward to what God has in store for all of our marriages. I continue to be thankful for the precious new friends God continues to put in my path who have blessed me tremendously.

I actually get to spend some more time tomorrow with the ladies from FUMC MOPS as we go on a play date. While you usually get some marriage advice of some form on this blog, I just want to say how important friendships are too - especially the new ones. When was the last time you met a new friend? I want to encourage you to look outside of your usual circle and find another wife, a new friend, that you can get to know better! You might end up having more in common than you ever imagined.

I also want to mention the ladies of The Vine who have started the path down the Inspired Wife road - I am praying for you!

Enjoy these last moments of summer and know that God didn't create us to be selfish but to be a servant! Love ya, Heather