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Better Than Newlyweds

Where the Honeymoon never ends!

Give Thanks to God | Stacy Hudson | Better Than Newlyweds

November 21, 2016 by Mrs. Hudson

Give thanks to God. It not only shows our gratitude but it reminds us where all our blessings come from.

In marriage, it is easy to get caught up in the day to day and start to look to each other for what we need. However, we set ourselves and our husbands up for failure when we do that. When we make a choice to give thanks to God it changes our perspective. Sure, our spouses bless us and so we look to them with appreciation but we must be careful not to look to them with expectations only God can fulfill. They are a gift from God.

People receive houses and money from their parents, but a good wife is a gift from the Lord. Proverbs 19:14

We should give thanks regardless of how we feel.

I know there have been points in my life where I did not feel like giving thanks to God… for anything. I looked around and in that moment didn’t see anything good. I wanted to get mad and say anything but words of thankfulness. But I knew that God was still God no matter my circumstances. I knew I should give thanks out of obedience to His word.

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:4

A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

In those situations, as soon as I start to give thanks my attitude changes and every where I look there is something to thank God for. Did everything change in that instance? No, what changed was my focus. Instead of giving in to my feelings I decided to give in to my faith. My feelings have led me astray but my faith in Jesus has not. Our feelings and emotions are our flesh. We must do everything we can to welcome God and His presence in to our lives so that we can live by His spirit instead of our flesh.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool Proverbs 28:26a

The heart is deceitful above all things Jeremiah 17:9a

All the “bad” that was going on… was still going on… but in that moment I could see the good God was working out of the bad.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

We have been married almost 6 years. God has done a lot in those years. We have been through a lot. Sometimes we have felt like giving up. We have wrestled with the thought that our lives would be easier if we didn’t pursue what God was calling us to do. The truth is our lives probably would be easier but they would not be Godly. 

The thing that made our hard times harder instead of heavenly was when our focus was on us and not Him. When I was looking to my husband to bring balance and peace to my life it put pressure on him that was not his to bear. And it went both ways. We are getting faster at recognizing when we are doing this. We are trying to realize quicker so that we can readjust. When we are impatient with one another or when there seems to be a lot of miscommunication going on… our perspectives need changing not our circumstances. In those times we need to focus on God and all of His goodness and give thanks. 

Would it be easier for us and for our marriage if God would just change our circumstances? YES! Of course it would. But would that be the best for us? Would that prepare us for heaven? Would that draw anyone else to Jesus by our actions and obedience? Would that bring us closer together as a couple? Would that grow our faith and deepen our relationship with God? No.

When we give thanks to God we grow our faith. When we depend on God individually it brings us closer as a couple. When others see how we point to Jesus in hard times they will be drawn to Him. Life is hard. Marriage is Hard. But if we let it… it will prepare us for Heaven. 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Life is hard. Marriage is Hard. But if we let it… it will prepare us for Heaven.
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Filed Under: Better Husband, Better Than Newlyweds, Better Wife, Marriage Monday Tagged With: blessings, give thanks, God, life, marriage, thanksgiving

Waiting on God is hard | Stacy Hudson | Better Than Newlyweds

November 14, 2016 by Mrs. Hudson

Waiting on God is hard. Waiting on God patiently is unnatural. Patience to wait on God is spiritual. After all, God is Love and “Love is patient”.

“4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 [b]bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails;” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Tonight I was able to cross something off my bucket list. I have always wanted to get a picture of the moon. I wanted a picture where you can see the dips and surface changes. I knew it could be done but I had never been able to do it. I knew it was the super moon and so I thought it was worth a shot. I had to try out several settings and be patient with myself. I had to wait each time to see the picture load and if it had worked. When it worked I laughed with excitement! It was amazing to see the details of the moon. It was a special moment… a moment of worship really… and I thanked God for it. It was a moment to be still and in awe.

super moon

I write a lot about being still. I think that is because I have a hard time with it and God knows that. I want to be able to do something. I want to be able to fix it myself. I have always been independent. Just ask my mom.

The thing about a relationship with Jesus is we have to be still. When we are waiting on God to move we must be still. When we know we have done all we have been asked of God we must trust Him to do the rest. And in the waiting…we must rest.

My friend, Ailie from Pen Paper Paint recently wrote:

“Fixating on a situation that is not coming right or a prayer that is not being answered will merely result in disappointment and further dismay. Focusing on how the situation isn’t turning around isn’t going to make it improve. On the contrary, we need to lift our eyes off our frustrating circumstances and onto God. We need to ask God to open our eyes to see what he is doing in our lives, what breakthroughs we are experiencing no matter their size.”

“Love rejoices with the truth” 1 Corinthians 13:6

The truth is that God has good plans for us. He is worthy of our trust. When I try to fix things on my own it is because I am not trusting God and His timing. I am putting my faith in the wrong person or the wrong thing. No amount of my planning or doing can bring about the results of God’s blessings. They will fall short every time. But if I trust God and wait on His will the blessings will come. The time we spend waiting on God is the time God uses to teach us.

“Real life, though an adventure, is far from a day at an amusement park. Too often, we want a FastPass straight through God’s pauses to move directly to His plan. But God seldom hands out passes so we can avoid the wait and skip to the front of the line.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as painful as it feels at the time.
A rush through the wait has the potential to stunt our spiritual growth and dull our senses to what God wants us to learn. As the apostle James tells us in today’s key verse, God wants us to “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).
James advises those who follow Jesus not to take the FastPass through tests and challenges. He says that a pause will actually work in our favor. Our faith will mature, and we will become well-developed women of God, ready for all the good works He has prepared for us. God is the Creator of time. We can trust His pauses to be purposeful and perfectly arranged. God will make the most of our pause, and we should too.
– See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/fast-pass-please/#sthash.fNMaN0Ut.dpuf”

What are you waiting on God for?

What are you waiting on for your marriage? Is it for your husband to come to Christ? Is it for you husband to come home? Is it for you to be able to trust or be trusted again? Whatever it is…God can do it. Just wait.

Filed Under: Marriage Monday Tagged With: blessings, Christ, God is Love, today

Marriage and Motherhood are Wonderful Teachers | Stacy Hudson

October 26, 2015 by Mrs. Hudson

Marriage and Motherhood can teach us a lot if we let them.

{So I didn’t get the below blog post published in time to go out in the “Marriage Monday” email… but I’m not letting that stop me. I wrote the below on 10-25-2015 at around 1 in the morning.}

I’m just now getting to bed after a long but wonderful day that was proceeded by a long but not so wonderful day and night. My sister-in-love (my hubby’s sister) got married today! And We were up all last night with our baby girl and a stomach virus.

I’m just laying here looking at the two most precious blessings in my life. I would take their picture but I don’t want to risk waking them. This is one memory I’m going to have to tuck away in my heart for safe keeping.

They are my two most precious blessings and they are also my greatest trials.

Let me explain. 🙂

Marriage and Motherhood are Wonderful Teachers

Marriage is a wonderful teacher. When my husband and I have disagreements (I prefer to call them “disagreements” rather than fighting! 😉 ) I always learn more about myself and how I need to grow and change. I see my selfishness. I see my impatience. I also learn more about my hubby. I see his kind heart and his patience with me. Those things are what I remember after we have a “disagreement”. After all, those are the important things.

Motherhood is a wonderful teacher also. With our sweet baby girl… well… motherhood is just hard….And that is an understatement. I have a new appreciation for my mom and all moms out there.

Every sleepless night and every night filled with crying fits and a wide awake baby…they end up teaching me something. I learn that I am stronger than I think I am. I learn that my husband is more caring than I ever knew. I learn that the patience I have with my baby and the joy I get from watching her learn new things is how God is patient with me. He also delights when I learn new ways to honor Him and live a Godly life. In the middle of it though… to be honest… I usually hate it… and I often ask “why is motherhood like this?” There is almost nothing more heartbreaking than a crying baby that nothing seems to help. 🙁 But once we are on the other side of it… and she is sleeping peacefully on my chest… a calm comes over me and I feel like I can do it again the next day. As my mom often sings… “One day at a time.”

I would encourage you to try to and remember those things. Look at what you can learn from the trials in your life. God is always patient with you and wanting teach you something new about yourself and those in your life.

Marriage and Motherhood are wonderful teachers if we are willing students.

Easier said than done I know… but just try. It is better than remembering the bad things that make us bitter and I bet we are all pretty good at that. It’s time we change our focus. It’s time we focus on God.

 

Filed Under: Better Than Newlyweds Tagged With: blessings, God, heart, life, marriage, motherhood, trials

Hi, I’m Stacy!

I am married to the Love of my life... my Prince. We strive daily to have a marriage better than newlyweds. We want to know each other better than when we were first wed. We want to please God by serving each other. Marriage is so important as it represents the relationship between God and His church... we must protect it and fight for ours. Read More…

Good Reads for Your Marriage:

679599: The Love Dare The Love Dare
By Stephen Kendrick & Alex Kendrick
{These are affiliate links but I truly believe these books would add value to your marriage.}

Recent Posts

  • 5 BIBLE VERSES FOR TROUBLED MARRIAGES | Stacy Hudson
  • More than a baby was delivered when I gave birth | Stacy Hudson
  • What I’ve learned Being Married to an Agnostic | Guest Blogger: Ailie Baumann
  • How to Improve Communication in Your Marriage | Stacy Hudson
  • How to Put the Spark Back in Your Marriage | Stacy Hudson

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