The Price Of Freedom

Is vigilance.  This is something I heard/read the other day then last Sunday Pastor Joe (of Celebration Church, Georgetown, TX) was talking about being Clueless and not to take anything for granted.

Proverbs 27:

 ²³ Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
       give careful attention to your herds;

 ²⁴ for riches do not endure forever,
       and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Nothing is secure, not our children, not our marriages.  We need to be aware of where our family is spiritually, where their hearts are.  How can we tell?  We have to listen, and listen for the heart.   You may ask, what exactly does that mean or look like in real life?

Well, we ask questions, then we wait, for answers.  Tune in, look them in the eye, and see what they are all about.  You will learn, you will hear and then you can guide your children or work on areas in your marriage that need attention.

Marriage, and parenting are labors of love.  They don't come easy and they don't come automatically.  They come with dedication and devotion.  They take your time and your heart.  When Kevin and I first got engaged we asked everyone we knew, what makes a marriage work?  The #1 answer?  Communication.  Is that all?  Hahaha, I laugh now, because I did not know what healthy communication looked like.  I did not know that I did not know how to do that.  I'm still learning.  How can you know, when what you have known all your life and is a part of you, that it might be broken?  God helped reveal my areas of weakness.  He helped bring the dross to the top so I could see it and scrape it away, purifying my heart, and my life.  There is still a lot to learn, but this one was so crucial to me, and my family.

I will share with you one of my favorite take aways from marriage counseling.  LUV.  It's simple really- Listen, Understand, Validate.  Listen to the other person, repeat what they have said, make sure you really understand what they are saying, and then validate what they have said.  It is a great tool to help with communication.  It does not mean you have to agree with them, it just means that you are trying to understand them, and you respond so that they can hear you do.  It softens hearts, and opens doors.  It's not all but it's just a starting point.

Well, that's all for tonight!  Blessings, Rachel