Oh, Valentine's Day...

This was my husband's response last year after I asked him why we weren't going to go out for dinner (aka fight the crowd at some fancy restaurant.) His words reminded me of how blessed I am to have him as my husband. He constantly tells me I'm beautiful. He never fails to mention how much he loves me. He is a wonderful father to our son. He is a great spiritual leader of our household. He works hard to provide for our family. He supports all of my crazy, big dreams. The list goes on...

His love for me is not a commercialized version of love that promises chocolates and material possessions every 14th of February. He doesn't have to step up his game just for the holiday...he lives it day after day. Don't get me wrong, while I love the thought of an extra gift to give and receive, we try not to get caught up in going overboard with things. Instead, I focus on how February 14th reminds me to thank God for the man He brought into my life and how well he treats me every single day of the year. I love you E, and I'm beyond blessed to be your valentine for the rest of our lives! :)

We Need to Teach

"We need to teach our daughters the difference between a man who flatters her and a man who compliments her. A man who spends money on her and a man who invests in her. A man who views her as property and a man who views her properly. A man who lusts after her and a man who loves her. A man who believes he is God's gift to women and a man who remembers a woman was God's gift to man...and then teach our sons to be that kind of man."

Agreed. I have writer's block and am at a loss for words. I wish I could expound more but I've been stuck for days...

Remember this -->

 "to stand behind a good man with all your strength and conviction, and to raise a child with all your wisdom and endurance are large enough contributions to humanity and the Kingdom." -- First the Kingdom

Because of His Grace

“The reason we are not always under pressure is because of the grace of God. The fact is that all of life truly would be a day of evil—and much worse!—if not for the grace and goodness of a loving God. He continually operates to restrain the powers that war against us and to allow times of refreshment, recreation, enjoyment, and blessing. It is tragic that we so often take these times of refreshment for granted, enjoying them without of single thought for the goodness of God which makes them possible. Instead of giving thanks to God for those times of refreshment, we feel entitled to God’s blessing, and we are quick to complain that God is unfair when life doesn’t go according to our expectations.” 

- Ray Stedman reblogged from becomingone