This picture from Christmas morning makes me so happy. If I feel down I just look at this. The kids all sleep over and wait in my room until Mike and I call them down to open presents.
There is no such thing as a perfect marriage or a perfect family. All our families look different. We have gone through hard times like everyone, but God has blessed us so much and redeemed the hard stuff. Get a picture of the people you love and put it up on your mirror or in your wallet. When you are down look at it and be reminded about what is important in life and who God has blessed you to do life with.
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OVERWHELMED is my word for this year. Not the normal overwhelmed, but overwhelmed by God's blessings. Here is a throwback picture of our family and others showing how God has added an amazing son and daughter to our growing family. People would probably not guess, but I have never been very maternal. The kids go to Dad to iron and get stains out and when they are hurt. People ask, "Then how did we get so many kids?" ....and my answer is, "have you seen Mike?! " :)
But the truth is, even though I didn't get that "maternal gene" our kids are my greatest joy and the reason I just cry from the gift we've been given in each of them. I have no idea how we got so many blessings. I wish it for everyone. My heart aches for couples who weren't able to have children or lost children or are estranged from their children, almost so much I won't post about my family of fear of bringing pain. But I am reminded that it's all perspective and how you choose to look at your life. I have seen people love their animals in a way I never understand until I look at my kids. My goal is to wake up with praise on my lips for all that God has done. So today I praise him for my son- in-law, Ryan Antos and my duaghter-in-law Savannah Wehde. You have added blessing on blessing by becoming our "kids." What blessing overwhelms you today and puts praise on your lips? Leave a comment below. ![]() SEX: So to have a healthy marriage and keep the sizzle you have to know that sex doesn't start in the bedroom. It starts when he takes out the trash, when she thanks him for working so hard for their family, when she wears his favorite color and brushes her hair before he comes home. It's when he rubs her feet after a long work day, when he listens to the story she already told him yesterday, when he changes the babies diaper, when he cleans up the dog vomit, when she tells him how much she respects something he did, when she forgives him for not calling when he was late, when he eats the burnt dinner, when he makes dinner, when a surprise date night is planned, when she doesn't nag but she could, when he doesn't hold a grudge. It's when he compliments the body that bore him a bunch of kids, when you say every nice thing you think to each other, when you notice the good stuff and forgive the bad stuff, when he gets that passionate text while standing in line at the grocery store that leads him back to the dairy aisle for whip cream, when he prays over her every morning, when she gives him that "look" from across the crowded room, when they always say "I love you" even when it is a choice and less of a feeling. That is where sex begins. Today Pastor Mike & Holly share some of the main ingredients that have given them an Uncommon Marriage that has brought glory to God for over 28 years. There is nothing more important to me than being a Godly example to my kids. My daughter Chelsie blogs over at www.chelsieantos.com and I wanted to share one of her blog posts on here titled "10 Things My Parents Taught Me." ![]() 10 Things My Parents Taught Me: As many of you know, I was one of those homeschooled kiddos. I grew up being asked if I had any friends and people scratching their heads at my outgoing personality. (Homeschoolers generally can be pretty social. :) I'm now in my 20s, have my degree in Business, am married to the love of my life, and co-founded and help run the company Trades of Hope. I've traveled the country in a renovated camper, hiked mountains in Costa Rica, sailed on boats through Thailand, and work to partner with incredible artisans in countries all over the world to help end poverty. In 2016, we helped employ over 13,000 artisans globally. I'm sometimes asked what things I was taught in my homeschooled younger years that helped me on my road in life. While learning the normal things like Math and English, my parents also taught lessons that I believe have been the key to the success in my life. So, in thinking about this question, I came up with 10 lessons I learned from my parents, though there are certainly more. We are never by-products of our own, but comprised of the incredible people that have poured into us. My parents are the kindest, craziest, most full of love people I know and I am honored to be their daughter. These below lessons are things my parents were faithful in teaching me and living out for me, and I truly believe they can bring so much joy to your life. 1. Honor God & others, especially those in your authority This is a lesson I'm still learning. Honor is putting others first and respecting their thoughts, ideas, and contribution to your life. As a strong willed person, honoring those who paved the way before me can be difficult. Bucking authority can be trendy. But I do think, in instances, we're called to honor and serve someone else's vision before we can be entrusted with our own. Mostly because humility is learned in the submitting. Not speaking ill of others, not putting them down in front of others, always giving credit when sharing another's idea, not calling people out or making them look bad, always thanking those who gifted you or allowed you to have a platform. For me, honoring my creator is also so important to this. I do this through honoring the sacrifice he made for me on the cross and the life he has called me to live. When I honor God, honoring people is much easier. 2. Don't burn bridges Don't cut off relationships. There will be those that wrong you and hurt you. Don't intentionally hurt them back. If we are consistently making poor decisions, angering others, and being vindictive, we will have no more bridges to walk over. Apologize often. If you could have ended a relationship better, do it. Don't wait. Life is full of endings. But we don't need to end things with drama, ill intent, and anger. Learn how to end things well. 3. Stay physically & mentally disciplined for long term joy This is something I hid from for a couple of years. I was tired of being disciplined, of saving money, of taking care of my body, my stress level, my actions. And though shirking discipline doesn't always show short term affects, two years later, I was a mess. I learned that peace is actually found through the discipline to make choices for long term joy. By doing my work on time and respecting my authority, I decide that my short term desire of wanting my own way is not more important than the long term joy of loving my job and having it love me back. By being careful about the movies, books, and music I let my mind engage in, I decide that my short term desire for gratification is not more important than a mind that is at peace and free of violence, anger, and morbid thoughts. By controlling how much I am online, I decide that my short term desire to engage and gain a following is not more important than sharing space and time with my husband, family, and those dearest to my heart. Choosing discipline can be frowned upon, many mistaking this for not living in grace and not giving yourself a break. And while there will be moments of time we need to break routine and we will always need grace, choosing to control our thoughts, bodies, and minds can lead to happier and more peaceful lives. 4. Before making decisions & assumptions, especially out of anger, put yourself in another's shoes It's easy to react to other people. But the key of leading anything is to become good at controlling your reaction and understanding that, though your emotions may be valid, the other person's feelings are probably very valid too.We don't live in a world of polar opposites. There is gray and being able to control our decisions and assumptions.... and then filter the perspective of another into them, gives us an incredible way to live in peace with others. 5. Choose to believe that your grass is beautifully green and that there is no other side Positivity is the key to so much. I went through a very dark period in my life where I hated when people would tell me to "choose" joy. And I get that perspective, I really do. After trauma and pain, there is no real immediate solution in choosing. But what I found in dealing with trauma is that choosing is a slow thing and it hurts a lot more than we thought it would. I would go months without knowing if the choosing was working. Something that helped was eliminating social media for a while. I did this so I would stop focusing on what I had lost that others still had, and so I would instead focus on what I actually still did have. I wrote encouragement on my mirrors, on note cards all over my house, I repeated affirmations to myself, and I only put into my mind what would make me feel grateful. And over days, and weeks, and months, step by step, a little light dawned in my heart again. There is always someone that will seem to have a better life. But choosing to live YOUR life in the best possible way YOU can will physically and mentally change your life. Your body will become healthier, because light thoughts produce health. Your relationships will get better, because light attracts people. And you will feel that maybe, just maybe, your life is wonderful even when it's hard. And that those two things don't have to be at odds. 6. Be involved in community
Ryan and I traveled for almost a whole year in a camper, never staying in one place longer than 3 days. It was an exciting time, exploring the entire US, speaking for Trades of Hope, and getting to meet new people. But by the end of our trip, I was drowning in sorrow and grief from things going on in my life and in family. And I was so lonely. I was also confused. Isn't it everyone's dream to travel and see the world? Maybe it is, but it doesn't always feel like a dream. What I realized was that moving every 3 days for almost a year produced in me no real roots or attachments to people. And we are created by God to be in relationship with others. It wasn't until we settled in one area and began intentionally involving ourselves with our friends that I began to heal. God has gifted others with the balm needed to heal your wounds. You simply don't have it within yourself and I promise that you'll need them to teach you to hope and laugh again. 7. Be generous with your time, money, and knowledge Every thing we have is a blessing. Every piece of wisdom and joy, every dollar, every possession. But I believe that these things are not truly ours and that we've been given them to help others. Be generous in everything you do. Give of your time. Give of your encouragement. If you are blessed financially, help others with it. If you are given something, start dreaming of how you can use this gift to help other people. This is one of the greatest lessons my parents lived out for me and it brings such fullness of life. Instead of guarding our 'stuff' and our knowledge, giving away freely also brings freedom to our minds and hearts. 8. Be creatively passionate in whatever you do, doing it with integrity and excellence There's 4 words in this statement that mean something important:
9. Be a safe and balanced place for those around you Balance asks us to lie within the tension of two thoughts. It asks us to guard our thoughts and conversations against extremism. That is not easy and requires constant conflict. The middle ground will always have this tension. But if we are to love all people, we must bridge the gaps in thinking and perspective and help heal divisiveness. This is not just about politics, but in relationships, in work, in groups of people. Don't be quick to take a side, but consider how you can instead stand in the middle to love and heal a divide. 10. Through empathetic learning, act and speak with boldness. In a world where empathy and gentleness are so important, we can fear the power of boldness. We tend to lack the ability to be bold because we foolishly forget empathy and speak without asking for perspective. If we are to be bold in this way, we will certainly look like fools. But IF we hold on to the responsibility of being empathetic, we will be gifted with the ability to speak with power and courage. In fact, not much difference can be done in the world if we turn down the moment to speak and act with confidence. Let your compassion and empathy for others motivate you to speak with boldness and conviction. And choose to do it even when you're afraid. |