What have I learned?

        So in the almost month that Alvin and I have been married, there is something that I have learned that I believe is more important to reaching and maintaining marital happiness that most other things: communication. This may seem like a no-brainer, I know, but honestly it is one of those things that does not come naturally to me - and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I know that those of you who know me well may be saying to yourself, "what is she talking about? she talks ALL the time!" and while you are correct - I do like to talk a bit ;D - when it comes down to actually communicating? I'm lost most of the time! 

       Two scenarios come to mind that explain, more or less, what I'm talking about. One, there have been several times in the short time we have been married where an argument almost occurred because there was a misunderstanding - one person did not quite understand what the other was talking about but assumed they did,etc. Two, there have also been times when something really important comes up that needs to be discussed but you know what? It's REALLY hard to bring it up sometimes! For both of us!

        So what can be done about this? How is this chasm breached? Luckily for us, and everyone else out there, God's word tells us exactly what to do to solve this dilemma! 

In the book of Psalms, chapter 37, verses 3-7a, we get a taste of God's wisdom:

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him..." (NKJV)

        In this passage I have done two things. I have made our actions bold and secondly I have highlighted God's rewards if we follow through with them. It takes a certain amount of boldness on our part to follow God's leading in our lives, don't you think? But if we do the rewards are many and shine with His love for us, His children. The beauty of this passage is that no matter what the problem is we can take it to the Lord, because we can trust in Him, and once we've sought Him we can rest in His goodness and love and He shall give us the desires of our hearts. Now, this is not to say that after we bring our concerns to God we kick back and relax necessarily, but it means that we can have peace in the knowledge that God is taking care of us. 

        So what does this look like in real life? If I am concerned about the communication in my marriage, for example, I know that I can bring it to my husband and we can take it to the Lord together. Once it is with the Lord we are able to have peace and we can know that as long as we continue to seek the Lord's direction for our lives and our marriage that peace will last. 

        Well, I hope that this has given you some insight into your own life and the relationships there - God's word goes further than just marriages! I pray that you will also seek Him for direction in your life! 

Always in Christ, 

The GingerWife <3