Celebrating God's Design in your Marriage

Have you ever seen the movie "War Games"?  You know the Cold War thriller-lite with Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy?  Its one of those movies I can't help watching if I flip by when its on even though I have seen it a million times.  One of the scenes, actually the first scene, hit me last night as a very odd metaphor in my marriage.  To launch the nuclear missile out of the silo, there were always two guys on alert.  Both had to turn the key and the keys were so far apart that there was no way one person could physically do it.  I think in a very weird way this is like my marriage relationship.  I am the one ready to fire on any great adventure I see on the horizon and I'm thankful that my husband is God's failsafe in my life, always there to slow down my crazy enthusiasm.  He is thankful that I push us into new frontiers and adventures though.  Its just a beautiful way God has balanced our family.

In Genesis 2:18, "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." God knew that my husband would be more cautious and that I would be more impulsive and through miracles that I will never understand this side of heaven, He allowed these two wacky kids to meet and form a family.  We honor God's design for marriage when we celebrate and rejoice in our differences and use them for His glory rather than being frustrated by them.  

What metaphors do you see in your marriage?

Raising Grateful Children

I love my kids but they all go through different phases.  Lately, my kids have seemed very entitled and ungrateful for what they have and what we do for them.  I tried to think of ways to turn this around and I came up with a few ways to remind them of how blessed they are.

1. Dinnertime thankfulness: Every night at dinner, we are going around the table saying one thing we are grateful for that day.  It may not be much but it gives us a chance to reflect on the blessings we received that day and it usually becomes a good conversation starter.

2. Work before you play:  My kids have had chores for a while but they just have to get them done sometime during the day.  This Summer we have done a lot of fun activities in the community and their gratitude for that has not been reflected in their behavior.  So, they have to do their chores before I will take them to do anything fun or have friends over.  I want them to understand that going to the pool, play dates, etc are a privilege, not a right.

3. Giving and serving: I have been talking to them a lot about how much they have compared to most kids around the world.  I think that conversation can be done without becoming a giant guilt trip (at lease I hope).  I had them gather up toys to donate to a local charity and we are talking about other opportunities for them to serve.

How do you encourage an attitude of gratitude in your home?