Blessed be the ties that bind

Well, frugal and frivolity have certainly collided lately. With the economy the way it is, our stress levels in our marriage are sky high. It can be good and bad I guess to be under maximum pressure. The only good seems to be that with so much overwhelming pressure, we can see the black and white of our choices and of our circumstances. Our different styles clash so much normally, but in times of economic stress, our differences stand out even more. Yet, God is soooo incredibly faithful to us, and merciful to us. We have lost our cool and blamed each other and even thought of running away from the problems, but in those moments of complete despair we stare right at the fiber of who we really are and what our 2 choices indeed are, to stay committed NO MATTER WHAT or to break our vows. At those moments, when we know that running means leaving a legacy of another divorce to each of our children, who watched our first marriages go under, and that it means breaking our covenant we made to our God, not just to each other, we are quickly brought to our knees. For, we may struggle and kick and scream to be free, but our bond is deep. God has brought us together and He is doing a work in and through us to make us more like Him, IF WE ARE Willing to be changed. When we repent and say to one another, I am so sorry for lashing out at you over financial stress, we see God do wonderful, miraculous things. We see how selfish and jerklike we really were, and how merciful and forgiving God is. The ties that bind us to our Saviour are never broken. God's word tells us that nothing can ever separate us from His love. That lifeline of His love is what we are bound to in our marriage as well. Because His tie binds us each to Him, we are bound to each other and to Him. He is holding us together and when we really see that as clearly as if we could see it physically, then we realize, the plan is for us to keep this covenant to each other and to our God and that He will see us through. Blessed be the tie that binds ....The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Jesus, we are so grateful for your mercy that has kept us afloat and kept us bound together. We know that you deserve all the glory, for were it not for our bond to you, we would surely have been torn asunder long, long ago. Thanks for carrying us when we have no more strength and for your promise that We can overcome by the blood of the lamb. In Him, L

The calmness (mostly) after the storm

Merging a very, very frugal guy and a very, very frivolous chic, was like merging the sun with the moon. One is bright and likes to shine and is very bold and the other likes to be muted in the background with a calm, steady role. Like any couple we went through our honeymoon period where each thought the other was soooo awesome, especially since the other one seemed soooo cool because the other was sooooo intriguing. Fast forward one year and you would find us arguing over everything from whether it is ok to buy a bottle of water or why scrutinizing prices on every item to buy at the grocery story seemed like torture. We had a tug of war for years seeing who was going to win. No one won, and I am sure God was waiting for us to eventually see that. We wore each other out until we said, ok, maybe the other one is not going to change and become like me. I guess I may have to find a way to cherish the differences, not perish them!! Ha. Over the last year we have seen many changes in our relationship. We have come to see that our bond is greater because we hung in there through the toughest differences and through trials and stresses, through outside threats to our bond, and through total depletion. We hung in and found that underneath all of the stress and strife, we had a marriage bond that ran deep. As the verse we have come to understand deeply states, "Many waters cannot quench love." This blog is dedicated to the author of that truth and to the keeper of our opposites attract marriage. May all who visit here be refreshed and renewed.

God bless,
L