Halfway There

Welcome ladies! How exciting that today is the halfway point of the 14 day challenge. I can't believe that it is going by so fast. I know that yesterday was pretty heavy stuff, from the emails & comments that I have been reading, you all are digging pretty deep into yourselves. I am so proud of all of you for taking this journey with me & being honest with yourself.

Last week, we went to church we heard a great message. Well, there is a great message every Sunday at church, which is why I always have a ton of notes. Can you believe that I am a note taker? Ha! I am. Anyway, I was trying to tell Adam about something that really stood out to me but I couldn't seem to put it into words. Then today, Pastor Daryl posts it on his blog, a whole 8 days later. Plus, I got a Twitter text from someone that doesn't know me personally telling me to check out Pastor Daryl's blog. (I had never visited there before) I think God wanted me to share this message.

With all credit going to Pastor Daryl who I believe "borrowed" the message from Larry Brey at our old home church - Elevation, here is his post....

The Perception Principle is this: How you perceive someone is how you receive them.


This principle is huge. Take for instance Jesus in His own hometown in Mark Chapter 6. The Son of God comes home and instead of them receiving him as who he was they received him as a common man (just a carpenter) and because of their perception of him, they missed out on a receiving what he had for them.

The awesome thing about principles is that they are usually universal. I believe that the Perception Principle is HUGE in our lives. If we perceive our spouses as nags guess how we receive them? If we perceive teenagers as worrisome trouble makers guess how we receive them. If you perceive your team as lazy or incompetent guess how you receive them?

And how you receive people is how you speak to them. If you perceive negative aspects, that’s all you speak to. However if you choose to perceive people based off of their potential and based off of God’s Word, then you speak to them in that light, you encourage, you coach, you believe the best!

Choose to perceive others through God’s eyes and not your own and see what happens!! I believe in you!!

Wow! I can immediately see how not living the Perception Principle has negatively affected my marriage in the past. Not only in my marriage, but also in my children's lives, my relationship with bosses or co-workers, other family members, friends, etc. The list goes on & on. You have made a decision in your mind that is negative, so you have lost from the beginning. That person could bring a great blessing in your life but you will be unable to truly receive it.

Some of you are really struggling with this. Even after yesterday's post I have received countless emails about women being worried about being a doormat, being submissive, or not being equal to your husband. You have already decided that this 14 day challenge WON'T work for you because you aren't going to let it. You have already lost so why should you even start?

Let me ask you this...do you really want to be equals? I mean, to the full extent. If your car breaks down, can you fix it? If you need handyman things done around the house, can you do them? If a burglar breaks into your home, are you going to investigate it or are you going to grab your husband? (I am not suggesting that women CAN'T do these things. I am only suggesting that this is usually when the double standard comes in.) God commands our husbands to be protectors & the leaders in our home. We need to allow him to fulfill his role & we need to fulfill ours. This doesn't make us submissive or less of a person. It makes us obedient. Lisa Shea sent this to me this afternoon & I want to share it with you. At first I was disappointed that I didn't get it before I posted yesterday's post, but now I see that I would need to reiterate my message. "Being a respectful wife won’t make you a doormat. It makes you a welcome mat to the power & the presence of God!!"

Really think about what being "equal" means to you. If you are not careful, you just may find out what equally divorced, equitable distribution, or equal custody means. I know that isn't what you want or you wouldn't be reading this blog in the first place. Let us help you help your marriage!

Lesson #7

Leave a note for your husband that says, "Thank you for wanting to work hard for our family. Your desire & commitment makes me feel secure". Words are healing. Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Hang in there. You are halfway through! Keep an open heart toward God. Let God act on your behalf in response to these plans. Proverbs 16:9 says, "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps".

"Lord, thank you so much for giving us the strength to make it half way through this 14 day challenge. We could not take this journey without your help. Lord, please help us to have faith in this process. Please give us a sign from our husbands that our efforts are working. You might have to speak loud & clear to us for us to hear what you are saying to us. Please don't give up on us, Lord. We want our marriages to work, & we have taken the first step by accepting this 14 day challenge. Thank you Lord for holding us close when we feel as though we have nobody else on our side. Amen."

Aimee