Get Married to the Man You Couldn’t Live Without
Make your lifelong commitment to the guy who wakes up next you every morning and exclaims, “Aw crap, woman air!” Your spouse should not be frightened to tell you the truth about your morning xerostomia because he or she may lose their job or get fired.
Engage in a relationship with a guy who understands your passion for bruschetta and who always allows you to take the final piece, despite the fact that you were meant to divide it equally.
Instead of jewelry and flowers, choose the guy who will surprise you with a Kindle. Rather than the clichés society has brainwashed him into believing you prefer, he has a deeper insight of who you are.
Invest your time and energy on finding a partner who will laugh at all of your silly jokes. Instead of seeing it as a sign of immaturity as all the other guys did before him, he finds your weird humor to be charming and endearing.
Choose a partner who will not interrogate you about your history. He is aware that you had an extensive dating history before to meeting him, but he does not force you to discuss it. The only thing that counts is that you are with him at this moment. He’ll be ready to listen when you’re ready to share your thoughts.
You should marry a guy who is considerate of others. As a result, you should marry the guy who is well-liked by everyone. If he is well-regarded by his friends and coworkers as a strong and principled individual, the odds are good that he will be respectful of you.
Choose the guy who believes in you and your aspirations, even if you’ve been away from them for an extended period of time. He supports you every time you make an effort to turn your dreams into reality, and he doesn’t express disappointment if you don’t succeed.
Choose a partner who is aware of your flaws and does not attempt to use them against you. Instead, he encourages you and assists you in maintaining your equilibrium in all facets of your life.
Choose a partner who is a good match for you. He fills in all of the holes in your story. Your outspoken counterpart to your reserved counterpart. From my half-full glass to your half-empty glass, thank you. You’ve found the ideal counterpoint to your wacky mayhem.
Marry the guy who you could live without, but who you don’t really want to be without. When you share your life with someone, it becomes significantly more wonderful.
4 Things You're Doing That Are Making You Anxious
Increased levels of anxiety have been seen in recent years.
Because of the effect that today’s trends are having on individuals of all ages and stages in life, my heart hurts for them and for us. No doubt you may identify with some of these worries. The effects of this tough season in history have been felt by everybody, I believe.
Consequently, what is it about stormy times that makes some individuals fare better than others? In addition, what can you glean from them to assist you in discovering the true causes for your worries––as well as how to overcome them?
Check out these 4 things you’re doing that are making you feel anxious.
1. Being preoccupied with the incorrect thoughts and concerns.
A man is defined by what he thinks in his heart, according to Proverbs 23:7. Please examine the following adage for a minute. The phrase “You are what you eat” is one that you’ve most definitely heard before, don’t you?
Given that I am on day #29 of the 40-Day Sugar Detox, believe me when I say that I completely identify to this aphorism. The sweetness of sugar is irresistible for me. The thing, however, does not care about me. My joints were throbbing as a consequence of overindulging in sweets. Taking a sugar fast relieves the discomfort and allows me to feel much better. I hate admitting this yet the evidence is beyond my comprehension.
Similar to this, what you feed your thoughts will determine you and what you become in the long run. As a result of mentally rehearsing everything that may go wrong, you will get worried and afraid. And if you’re talking about something that makes you worried, you’ll most certainly cause concern in people around you, particularly your children (if you have them).
It is not an easy effort to combat nervous thoughts. You should be especially cautious if you have a tendency to be too concerned. “The first step in overcoming your worries is to identify them,” author Edward T. Welch writes in his book, When I Am Afraid. Whether or whether you find God’s messages appealing is dependent on your perspective. It is impossible for God’s words of consolation to penetrate your heart if you are unable to recognize your anxieties and worries.”
According to Welch, in order to disarm the frightened ideas that are swirling about in your brain and causing you to be concerned, you should write them down.
You will be able to pinpoint your fears right away.
When you think about losing something or someone that is essential to you, you may experience anxiety and worry.
Your own mortality, sickness, or personal loss may be a source of concern.
According to Welch, if you pay attention to your anxieties, you will be better able to foresee the kind of catastrophe you are anticipating as you consider your worries and worries. “Fear and concern are predictions,” Welch asserts.
Also, a great deal of what we think about God is revealed in what we prophesy will happen. Consequently, pay close attention to your ruminations because they will disclose to you the source of your anxiety, which is rooted in your fundamental beliefs about God.
The second mistake is to lose sight of who is in charge.
You can tell a lot about your spiritual journey by how you react to fear and anxiety. God promises to become your Father if you establish a genuine connection with Him via repentance and commitment to Christ.
After being a Christian for any length of time, you’ve most likely heard that God is your Heavenly Father, who promises to work all things together for the benefit of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). How come, however, that there is a gap between recognizing this reality and applying it to our troubling thoughts. You and I both become trapped in the same place. And what, if anything, can we do to change this situation.
Think over this quote from Welch once more: “We are God’s progeny who either flee from Him or flee toward Him.” The only two options are the ones listed above.”
While it’s understandable to find oneself on the proverbial fence––trusting God a bit and trusting yourself a little––it demonstrates that you’ve made the choice to walk away from God and place your faith in yourself or someone else, which is idolatry.
This is the crux of the matter for me personally. I quickly get concerned about the sort of world we are leaving for our descendants when I hear anything distressing on the news. It is possible that my concern may develop into anxiety if I do not exercise caution. Any day now may be the day when I’m rendered completely ineffective for whatever God intends to accomplish through me. Are there any witnesses I could call?
If you find yourself in a situation similar to this, you are not alone yourself.. Having the knowledge that you’re not alone in your struggles may be a comfort, can’t it. In His Word, God, on the other hand, has provided a means for you to break free from this cycle of worry.
True stories of individuals who have gone through difficult times and personal loss may be found throughout the Bible. Furthermore, God shows His character throughout such seasons.
“He is the God who sees,” Hagar, for example, said of God.
“He is the God of provision,” Abraham said.
One of my favorite tales is the one in which God answered to King Jehoshaphat’s concern by saying,
As the Lord has said, “Do not be scared or discouraged because of the large number of people there; for the war is not yours, but the Lord’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).
What if God’s precise words to the frightened king gave you the chills? If you didn’t get it the first time, let me say it again: “The war is not yours––it is God’s!
How about a round of applause for me? But, unless we are consistently cleansing our brains with the water of the word, we will rapidly forget that God is our Banner (Ephesians 5:26). This gets me to the second reason why you and I should be concerned: security.
3. The inability to recall.
If we ignore God’s supreme might, terror will inevitably develop. Throughout the Bible, God tells His people not to be scared more than 300 times. It’s also comforting to know that God is aware of our frailty and is there for us when we are in need; “He remembers that we are dust,” says the author (Psalm 103:14).
God’s solution for fear is for us to place our faith in Him by seeking Him out and remembering His character as revealed in the Bible. The verse “Those who know Your Name will place their confidence in You,” from Psalm 9:10, reminds us that “You, Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.”
As part of God’s ongoing instructions to His people, He urged them to remember and pass along His blessings to their offspring. Why? Because He is well aware of our propensity to overlook things.
For example, Israel had only just been rescued from Egypt following a series of amazing signs and wonders. However, as they were hungry in the desert, they forgot about God’s blessings and began to complain against Moses and God’s leadership..
Think about it for a moment before you start pointing the blame at those individuals. You’ve probably done the same thing in difficult circumstances. Certainly, I’ve done so. A decision must be made in this situation. Decide if you will think that God is a kind Father who will not burden you with more than you can bear. Will you follow in Peter’s footsteps and look for Jesus’ face above the surging waters of the ocean? This is the route to serenity, and it is also the path to releasing oneself from the burden of anxiety.
Our church gathered outdoors on a smoky day in California during the start of the epidemic to pray. “Do Not Forget His Benefits,” a young man preached that Sunday (Psalm 103:2). Having been married to a pastor for almost a decade, I’ve been privy to some of the harrowing trials this guy has gone through. In that moment, he was preaching to us about the way to achieve peace.
We were forced to flee our ranch for ten days because of a roaring California wildfire, and we had no way of knowing whether or not our house had survived. Throughout the day, the Holy Spirit reminded me not to lose sight of God’s blessings.
The best method to counteract anxious thoughts when you are filled with anxiety is to recall all of the times God has supplied for you, protected you, and helped you.
4. Making the incorrect social choices.
As a result of the rise of social media, friendship has undoubtedly lost its significance. Individuals who have confirmed you as a friend will have access to you at any time. It’s as if having a large number of friends has become the standard by which we are judged to be valuable.’
We get absorbed with scrolling through our devices, completely forgetting to cultivate a wonderful connection with Christ in the meanwhile. “A man who has many associates may come to destruction,” cautions Proverbs 18:24, “but there is a friend who adheres tighter than a brother to him.”
People may bombard you with strong ideas on a wide range of issues when they use social media to communicate with them. The temptation to become virtually absorbed with meeting our God-given longing for community is particularly strong during a lockdown.
Keep an eye on who you allow to have an impact on your thoughts.. It is likely that your pals will lead you down a road of concern if they routinely discuss what is wrong with the world and how worried they are about tomorrow.
Prepare yourself today for the battle against anxiety and depression. Friendships should be carefully selected (see Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Protect your thoughts by putting up a mental fortress. Stay away from friends that are stressed. As you face your anxieties, make a commitment to cultivate connections with people who will encourage and pray for you as you go through them with them.
Be the sort of friend that encourages people to use God’s Truth to battle their fears. You should be familiar with the Bible to the point that you can share biblical examples of God’s faithfulness with others when the chance arises. Know your own background as well. Offer yourself some time to ponder God’s kindness, and be prepared to give an account of His faithfulness in your own life, throughout history, and in the fulfillment of what He has promised would take place.
Allow your friends to be the first to experience this phenomenon. Don’t lose sight of His advantages! As you do, provide confidence to this generation that is yearning to believe that they may throw their troubles onto Jesus because He really cares about them.
