Mrs. Hudson, Author at Better Than Newlyweds

How to Put God First in Your Marriage | Stacy Hudson

April 10, 2017 by Mrs. Hudson

A popular word of advice to newlyweds is to “put god first in your marriage.” But what does that look like? How do you do that? What does putting God before you husband look like? It is not an easy thing to master as we are so used to doing it the other way. We make our husbands a priority because we Love them and feel this is a way to serve God. However, our husbands should not be THE priority. God should always be first. Then your husband. And then your children.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matt. 6:33

What does it look like to put God first in your marriage?

Putting God first does not mean ignoring your husband. Everything we do in service to our husbands should be out of our desire to serve God and keep Him first. In order to put God first in your marriage you must serve your husband out of your Love for God. This means that when you do something for your husband and he does not shower you with the praise you were hoping for (maybe deep down really expecting) you will be ok because you know God sees it.

How do you put God first in your marriage?

You have to make a choice to put God first in your marriage. Your Bible is not just going to jump in your lap everyday and remind you to spend time in the Word. Bowing your heart before God before you entrust it to your husband daily will save you both a lot of heartache. Having your heart bowed before God before you have a small disagreement with your husband will keep it small instead of turning into WWIII.

What does putting God before your husband look like?

Our husbands are a gift from God. Just like our children are a gift from God. And just like we spend time apart from our children alone with our husbands, we should do the same with God apart from our husbands. Make the choice to spend time in His presence daily. Keep Him as THE priority and recognize Him as that your husband is a gift from God.

When you put God first in your marriage you take so much pressure off of your husband. He no longer has to try to be your source of joy or fulfillment. Putting God first will result in Him filling your cup to overflowing so that you are able to Love your husband like Jesus.

When you put God first in your marriage He fills your cup to overflowing so that you can Love your husband like Jesus.

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Keep Your Eyes on Jesus to Avoid Disappointment in Marriage | Stacy Hudson

April 3, 2017 by Mrs. Hudson

It is storming over our house at the moment but I am not afraid. I am protected and sheltered from the storm. As cheesy as it may sound, when the storms of life are pounding down all around you, if you are walking with the Father He has you covered. He has you under His wing and will protect and shelter you from the storm. When you deal with disappointment in marriage, turn to Him and He will turn you back towards your husband.

There will be disappointment in marriage. In marriage storms will come, that is a promise.

It is what we do during those storms that shapes our marriages for years to come. If we decide to do it our way…which is of course the only right way… then we end up hurting not only our marriage but also our relationship with God. However, if we decide to rest in the shadow of the almighty and trust Him as we walk together through the storm… then we end up not only strengthening our marriage but also our relationship with God.

People often say that “God won’t give us more than we can handle.” I disagree. I believe they need to add 3 words to the end of that phrase. They should say “God won’t give us more than we can handle with His help!” If we can handle everything on our own then what do we need God for?

There will be times in marriage where we will wonder “how did we get here?” Those will be the times you might feel a great disappointment in marriage. I am going to go out on a limb and say that we end up in those moments because we took our eyes off Jesus and we removed ourselves from the shelter of the Father. God has given us guidelines in His word for our protection not as a punishment. Jesus already took that from us.

We need to renew our minds daily and fix our eyes on Jesus. If our eyes are stuck on our husband and all of his mistakes then we have removed ourselves from the shelter and protection of the Father. Instead of focusing on what he might lack we should be focusing on all that He is! Our focus determines how we react to disappointment in marriage.

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Ps. 46:1

But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.2 Corinthians 1:6-7

He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. Ps. 62:2

And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:19

He will cover you with his wings;
you will be safe in his care;
his faithfulness will protect and defend you. Ps. 91:4

We deal with disappointment in marriage because we have appointed our husbands as our strength, comfort, rock, salvation, provider, protector and much more.

He is our strength and comfort… not our husbands.

He is our rock and our salvation… not our husbands.

He is our provider and protector… not our husbands.

Fill in your own:

He is my ______…. not my husband.

The more we look to our husbands to be all that God should be in our lives the more disappointed we will be.

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Christian Marriage Quotes

March 27, 2017 by Mrs. Hudson

I am a words person. I put up sticky notes to remind me and inspire me. I print out Christian marriage quotes to remind myself what I want my marriage to be and how I want to be better as a wife. I hope some of these inspire you. I would challenge you to print out a few and put them in your war room or on your bathroom mirror. Reading something inspiring over and over again plants good seeds that will produce the fruit we want to see in our marriages.

God didn’t design marriage to make us happy. He designed it to make us Holy.

It is easy to get caught up in the arms of our husband and turn to him and depend on him. But, we must remember that he is not the source of our joy or our strength. Our husbands are a blessing given to us by the source of our joy and strength, Jesus Christ! Take time today and hold tight to Jesus first and then give your husband a tight hug recognizing that that is the order in which you should always operate. Jesus first and then your husband. Our husbands can not fulfill the longing in us for our Savior. The tighter we hold on to them in the hopes that they will the more we will be let down. Hold tight to Jesus and He will wrap you both in His arms and create a bond between you that is better than you could have ever imagined!

The world looks cold and bitter and most of the time upset at something. Is that what you want for your marriage? That is not what I want for mine. I want one that looks like Jesus. I want a marriage that is full of forgiveness and joy. What do you want your marriage to look like?

Which one of these Christian marriage quotes was your favorite? Do you have one to share? If so please post it in the comments!

Pursuing Your Passions and Leaving a Legacy | Time Mastery for Women with Jen Riday

March 27, 2017 by Mrs. Hudson

Remember that workshop my friend Jen Riday was leading and that I encouraged you to attend? Well it was AWESOME!

In the webinar Jen talked about letting go of guilt, perfectionism and the “shoulds” that hold us back (and leave us feeling drained, unmotivated and exhausted!). She shared some HUGE strategies she uses to help her know how to use her time for more “important” things, like her passions, hobbies and even living her “purpose.”

That part about “purpose” is huge. I know so many moms feel like there’s something “more” they need to be doing with their time, but they aren’t quite sure what it is or how to find the time. Jen shared so many great time management tips (like task blocking!! I’m totally going to start doing that!).

If you missed the workshop, Jen has graciously set up a video replay. Be sure to watch it soon because Jen said she’s only leaving it up for a couple of days).

>>> Watch the Workshop Replay [CLICK HERE]

In the workshop Jen also talked about her phenomenal time management program called Time Mastery for Women. TMFW is an extensive online course (created by Jen Riday) that shows you a proven, A-Z system for finding your purpose, pursuing your passions and leaving a legacy (I don’t know about you, but I definitely want my legacy to be more than laundry and dishes!)

I’m a student of the program and it’s excellent. Jen has created 20 videos and tons of worksheets and templates that will help you learn how to…

Spend WAY less time on mundane everyday tasks (that don’t move you forward!) and WAY MORE time on the things that are important to you.
Figure out your top 4 priorities in life and make sure you’re actually using your time for those priorities (and not just endless household tasks!)
How to create a crystal clear vision of what you DO want your life to look like 1, 5, or even 20 years from now! (This is so important because if we can’t SEE exactly what we want in our minds first, it’s never going to happen in reality1)
Get your spouse and kids to be way more responsible at home (includes well-organized charts to help your kids build strong morning, afterschool and evening routines so you don’t have to nag!)
Get control over your life and time and know exactly what’s happening every day, week, month and year (and it’s a system that’s easy and something you’ll actually stick with!)
Build healthier boundaries with your loved ones so you can protect your precious energy and actually have free time for YOURSELF (huge, I know!)
Identify and find significant blocks of time to spend on your passions and purpose – the thing(s) you’re “supposed” to be doing (but haven’t been doing because you’ve been stuck under a pile of laundry, dishes, dinners, tasks…)
Have a place for EVERYTHING that needs doing… aka the art of creating “White Space” in your brain so you can feel lighter again. When you know exactly where to put each “to do” you can relax and know you’ll eventually get to it.
Let go of guilt, perfectionism and the “shoulds” and start doing the things that help you feel the way you want to feel (this last one was a complete game changer for me!)

Time Mastery for Women has been amazing for so many women! Be sure to click here and read about it yourself. TMFW is a game changer that I highly recommend if you want to feel in control of your life and time.

How is Time Mastery for Women different from everything else out there? Because it’s made just for women. Jen, a busy mom of 6, knows just how crazy it can be for moms to juggle all the demands on their time, including work, family, home, volunteering… And Jen knows first hand just how empty you can get when you don’t have a long-term plan and aren’t moving forward or making progress toward a goal. And she especially understands just how much happier women are when they can finally get a handle on their time and spend significant chunks of it on the things that are important (family, health, creativity, volunteering, career…)

How about you? Do you feel there’s something “more” you’d like to be doing with your time? Perhaps it’s a home-based business? Or preparing for that marathon? Or volunteering more? Or maybe you want to learn a new skill like cake decorating or how to play the piano?

Whatever it is, you can’t just dive in willy-nilly and expect to stick with it long term if you don’t have a structured plan in place to help you create the TIME for it.

And that’s why Time Mastery for Women is absolutely brilliant – Jen shows you step-by-step (teeny, tiny, doable steps that won’t overwhelm you!) how to get clear on what you actually want or “should” be doing with your time and life, how to use her digital templates to create consistent routines, a week-at-a-glance schedule, and a year-at-a-glance plan. These are simply HUGE for helping you master your use of time (and NOT feel like time is the master of you).

I love Time Mastery for Women because it’s helped me get in better control of my time, be more productive, and know clearly that I’m doing what I’m “supposed” to be doing with my life. I love being able to balance my time between blogging and family. I just feel more balanced (and happy!)

I highly recommend you learn more about Time Mastery for Women. It’s a game changer!

Click here for all the details!

Learn to be the Master of Your Time with Jen Riday

March 20, 2017 by Mrs. Hudson

Does the day ever slip away from you? I know it does for me more often than I’d like to admit. Join me and become the master of your time with my friend, Jen Riday. She is hosting a free online workshop, How to Know What You’re Supposed to Be Doing With Your Life and Find the Time to Do It! Check it out + get access here!

Now — storytime. 🙂

Back before Jen became a women’s happiness and productivity expert she was a stay-at-home mom for about a decade.

Jen has some great stories about her high-energy kids (like when the principal called to say all 3 of her at-the-time elementary kids had been to his office in one day! Poor Jen. We’ve all been there in some way or another, though, right?)

Like most moms, Jen gave all her time to her family, trying to be the “perfect” mom. But after too many elaborate birthday parties, attempts at gourmet meals and never enough sleep, Jen felt exhausted.

She wasn’t happy.

So Jen set out to fix that. She started taking care of herself. She studied every happiness book she could get her hands on. She figured out how to do spend way less time on the everyday household tasks so she could spend way MORE time on things that actually made her happy (like learning to play the banjo at age 39… I love that!).

When her youngest and 6th child, Cora, was about 18 months old, Jen started to get these nagging feelings that there was something “more” she was meant to do with her life.

But what?

Jen tells the story of lying on her mat at the end of a great workout class, wondering and praying, “What should I do with my life now that I’m done having kids?”

She’d asked this question soooo many times before…

…but on this day she got her answer because she was quiet, relaxed and focused enough to listen and hear the answer.

“You need to become a life coach and help other women learn what you’ve learned about being a happy person.”

Sweet, huh? (And I know we all wish we could have such a clear “do this” answer, right?)

Now Jen is helping thousands of women discover how to listen to their intuition to figure out what they should be doing with their lives.

But even more importantly, Jen’s teaching women her system to create more time for pursuing their passions and living lives of meaning and purpose (It’s one thing to know you have something you were born to do, a passion you need to pursue, a gift or talent you need to share with the world…but it’s quite another thing to know where to find the time for it!)

As a mom of 6 who’s also running a business, Jen knows A LOT about time management. For example, Jen teaches women to create a Week-at-a-Glance so they know EXACTLY what’s happening all week and can get a big-picture view of their life.

She also teaches women how to do “task blocking,” which means chunking similar tasks together so you can spend WAY LESS time on your to do list and WAY MORE time on the things that are important and enjoyable (family, health, creativity, relaxation, fun…)

My favorite part: Jen figured out a system to get her husband and kids to do more around the house (without her having to nag them. For real!)

I love hearing Jen tell this story because she has such a powerful “before” and “after.”

She went from “exhausted, burnt out, do-everything-for-everyone-else mom” to “energized, happy, sharing-her-gifts-with-the-world mom.”

Who better to learn how to be the master of your time from than someone who has done it!

Now, I know some of you out there are thinking, “That’s great for Jen. But I don’t have the first clue on how to figure out my purpose, let alone find time for it!”

Well, you’re in luck. Jen is sharing all of this – for free. 🙂

Check it out:

>>> How to Know What You’re “Supposed” to Be Doing With Your Life (And Find the Time to Do It!)

In this online workshop, Jen will be sharing

How to declutter your schedule and make time for what matters most (learn to be the master of your time and enjoy your family, your friends, joy, and the dreams you’ve left on the back burner for years!)
The secret to letting go of guilt so you can actually enjoy taking time for yourself… even if you’re “crazy busy!”
How to spend way less time on household tasks like shopping, laundry and cleaning so you can have way more time for what you love to do (like watching an episode of “This Is Us” or enjoying a Girls’ Night Out!)
Why most women get stuck in mundane household routines that cause them to lose sight of passions, hobbies and date night. Instead, you’ll learn how to always focus on the big picture and your values…
How to get more organized and feel less overwhelmed through a proven, flexible time management system that you’ll actually STICK WITH long term (really!)
Getting your spouse and kids to do more at home so your household runs more smoothly and you feel more in control and way less stressed.

I’ve personally seen one of Jen’s workshops, and she really knows how to deliver. Not only does she break things down into simple, easy-to-follow steps, but she’s also highly engaging and makes the learning process fun.

If you want to become the master of your time I highly recommend signing up for Jen’s workshop here.

Enjoy!