Every Husband A Hero - Part 2

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas is truly one of the best fiction books I have ever read. It was given to me by my sister Teri some years ago when I was getting ready to get the long flight home from one of our cross country escapades. Well, in the middle of my conversations with God about my life - in particular my relationships and more specifically my relationship with my husband - I found this book in one of my file cabinets during a long over due clean out. Immediately, I knew what I was looking for from the text. It reads as follows:

Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. These balls are called work, family, health, friends and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls - family, health, friends, integrity - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And, once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life.

My five balls are named faith, family, friends, health and busyness. Faith is my personal relationship with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ and comes before everything else in my life. Family begins with my husband, then my kids, then everyone else the Lord has blessed my inner circle of life with. Friends are the people I know and associate with, but don't have a meaningful relationship. Health is my own and the three men in my home. Busyness is EVERYTHING ELSE!

The bulk of my busyness comes through my kids - School, Homework, School Projects, School Fundraisers, Book Club, Bike Club, Accelerated Reader, this field trip, that whatever else, TaeKwon Do, Football Practice, Football Games. When I was working, that list was compounded with everything that having a job meant. And, whenever anybody would call or e-mail and say Karen could you? I never had the heart to tell them no, so I piled something else on the top of my "I HAVE" to do this list. What I realized, when my work season ended, was that in all of my "involvement", I was not spending any quality time with my children, and my husband nearly had to wear a name tag just for my benefit. He had turned into that guy that I bumped into when I went to bed at night. (Thank God I learned how to catch at an early age, because I was dropping balls like it was cool!) The other thing I learned was that if I couldn't do something, somebody else would - or it would still be there when I could get to it.

In our Tuesday morning conversation at the Cafe, Lisa and I were talking about our husbands, and how thankful we are to God that we have them. Understanding they are just as imperfect as we are, but fully recognizing that without them, we would not have the freedoms we have to get together on Tuesday mornings to enjoy our time in the Lord together - or pretty much anything else for that matter.

Understand, I could make it through this life without my husband - I just don't want to, and, in that, the time I spend with him doing what he wants to do has become more important to my life than doing the things I want. I have not perfected this, and don't know if I ever will; because, I keep finding myself getting in the way. It's an ongoing, growing process that requires much grace and pruning. I don't always like it, and I don't always yield; but, I am completely aware of the significance and importance of my efforts ..... BECAUSE ..... the humbleness of my previous statement comes in the full knowledge that my husband could also live out his life WITHOUT ME!!!!

Because of the things God has shown me, the ball of busyness gets launched high into the sky, because it will bounce where it bounces; but, it will bounce back. The balls of health and friends get thrown some where not as high, but the balls of faith and family barely leave my hands. For damaging one of those ..... well ..... I don't even know how to finish the thought.

They barely leave my hands.

Living,
Learning,
Loving
and
Laughing,

Kalena Juggling

Every Husband A Hero - Part 1

The following entry was written by my beloved friend, Mary Ellen, for her Women of Grace Minute that she does every month for her church in California. I did no editting, because I believe it was perfectly written by this beautiful lady. I am posting it, because it is part one of an ongoing area of attention I am currently addressing with our Lord.

Enjoy!

Kalena Wifing



Strong as Metal

My husband and I were talking the other night, and as I started to drift into sleep, I was thinking about how thankful to God I am for giving me this strong man to protect and take care of me.

It made me think about my relationship with him and how men are like metal or iron. Stay with me for a minute.......metal/iron is strong, and can withstand a lot, but there is something that can destroy metal and that is rust. Rust is an erosion process that eats away at the metal, and most of the time it starts small. How many of you have ever seen something totally covered in rust? Even though it is covered and the metal still seems strong, it is being eaten away at constantly.

Ladies, I want to suggest to you that we have a part as to how strong we want our husbands to be for us. It's by the way we show them respect and how are words and actions come across to them. In 1Thes.5:11 it says "Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I know that there have been several times in my marriage that I have been more like rust to my husband and the corrosion has eaten away at our marriage. Thankfully, I have a Heavenly Father that has been able to change my heart towards this man HE has brought into my life, and has had to use some really strong stuff to get rid of the rust that I have spread.

Part of what HE has used has been Humility. HE has had to break my pride and show me that my way is NOT always the right way........big surprise, I know...but true! In James chapter 4:6 says "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." I don't know about you but I certainly don't want God on the opposite side of me, especially when it comes to my marriage!

Another verse that HE uses to help teach me to not even start with the "rust" is Proverbs 31:12, and it says "She brings him good and not harm all the days of her life." This tells me to keep a close watch on the attitude of my heart and what I say and do BEFORE I say and do it. Have you ever heard of Rust-Oleum? It is rust-preventative paint. I guess you would call this verse our "Spiritual Rust-Oleum".

Ladies, I know this is not easy and I certainly do NOT have this one down! But it is a command, and in Ephesians 5:33 that says " the wife MUST respect her husband." Remember God's ways are not our ways, and HIS thoughts are not our thoughts AND HE has never been wrong! So, maybe there is something to this respect thing. I do know for a fact that when Ron feels respected by me the love that comes from him is amazing!!

I remember when I was praying for a husband and I remember that one thing I prayed for was a man that would not only stand up for me but also one that would stand up to me. Because believe it or not, I like a big strong man to take care of and protect me and our family, and I have a feeling deep down inside you do too!