2/12/21 - what is God teaching you?

[newwifenewlife]

What is(has) God teaching(taught) you in the past few months about love? Marriage? Yourself? Relationships? Take your pick of topics(s) and share what you’ve discovered with His leadings and the Spirit’s movement in your life and/or marriage.

[Brynna]

I don't know whether these are things God has taught me or whether the realization has become so clear.

Love - whether it's your spouse or your children, unconditional love is so very, VERY important. I finally feel like we are reaping some of the benefits of that. It's really hard knowing when to say something and when to shut up. But when you hear from 3 different people how much your quiet teenager, who caused much grief and heartache, loves her family, it's truly amazing and humbling and you finally start to feel like maybe all God is restoring the years that the locusts have eaten.

Also, I lack a lot of trust and faith in humanity. But God has brought a few extra special people into our lives. I call them angels. God has shown us that He is still working miracles, and this time, not just for other people, but for us.

Marriage wise God has showed me how good I have it. I am very blessed and couldn't have chosen a nicer husband if I had done it myself. (Yup, I totally believe God picked DH for me and I always tell the children I couldn't say no!) And if it had not been for DH and us pulling together with God, the last 4 months would have utterly destroyed me. I am just so grateful that DH and I were on the same page through those dreadful times.

[Hiswifeagain]

That our freedom in Christ is so much more than what we are allowed to do, wear and eat. We have freedom from as well as freedom to. I’m enjoying studying Galatians in my quiet time.

[newwifenewlife]

This has been an emotional rollercoaster on multiple fronts for us. Never felt so much despair and learning going on at the same time. As difficult and frustrating as COVID has been, the past 12 months have had huge meltdowns and emotional breakthroughs personally and as a couple for DW & I. I’ve been at my wits end and God keeps giving us insights into life, ourselves and each other when we’re on our knees or more like flat on our backs and can only look up!

The last two months have been week after week of self-discovery from FOO and temperament impacts and patterns which we brought into our first marriages and now and how it’s impacted our parenting good and bad. We are discovering more and more how those things have impacted our communication, which while we do fairly well in many areas can sometimes just suck!!! I’ve been listening to podcasts, reading HOW WE LOVE, preparing for a temperament series and separate group study, and spending a lot of time reflecting and praying, well, more like crying out to God for some insight and favor.

We’re preparing to go through I SAID THIS, YOU HEARD THAT at church and as a small group and it’s gonna be another eye-opening experience as we reflect on our first years of marriage and my step parenting. I know I am fearfully and wonderfully made but why did God make me the way I am sometimes is a question I’d like Him to answer because sometimes it works well, and other times, I can blow things up...and not in a good way!!!

Binge-listening to the early years of SMR has opened new lines of understanding about sex, communicating needs, and owning my desires with DW and navigating the changes menopause brings along with all the other stressors that are happening in her life. Every opportunity of emotional turmoil or conflict is opportunity to build character, healthy patterns of communication and care, a foundation for greater love and future life, and my DW is a angel (though she’d say her halo is crooked and tarnished) to her man who she acts like is a knight in shining armor, when I really feel like the rusted out tin woodsman from the Wizard of Oz.

With that said, each time we get sideways and reconcile, we start laughing, pinky-swear and spit shake that we’re committed to doing this another day and I marvel at God’s miracle of love, grace and the power of a Godly marriage and household to be an incubator and teach us and develop in us His character, His grace, mercy, love and holiness.

EDIT: Oh, and thanks to Paul B’s email recommendation, LEADERSHIP AND SELF-DECEPTION. Great read. Very pertinent to all the stuff God's been working on me and understanding our family.

[SeekingChange]

I've enjoyed reading the answers that have been given so far! This is a deep and tough question that will take me a lot of thought, and I am currently in day 3 of a headache, along with several other issues taking up space in my "overthinking" place in my mind, and that is making it almost impossible for me to come up with an answer, in this moment.

I’m enjoying studying Galatians in my quiet time.

I am getting ready to start a new study of Galatians. I need to go download the videos to it, and then I should be able to start mine. Are you doing something specific, or are you just reading/studying on your own?

[MrsNerd]

Nothing monumental; just the every day reading, listening, meditating. I often feel in these long hard seasons, the Father has me learning the basics, over and over again.
In my relationship, I'm praying and praying for wisdom in how to deal with hard things we're facing. There's a lot of surrendering and washing-hands-of happening. Of course, everything feels hard. Everything is hard, with good reason- we have difficult circumstances (which make the Word even more relatable and precious).

[Hiswifeagain]

I’m enjoying studying Galatians in my quiet time.

I am getting ready to start a new study of Galatians. I need to go download the videos to it, and then I should be able to start mine. Are you doing something specific, or are you just reading/studying on your own?

I’m doing the Beth Moore study “Now That Faith Has Come”

[SeekingChange]

I’m doing the Beth Moore study “Now That Faith Has Come”

Is that the one that just came out? That's the one I am getting ready to start.

[Hiswifeagain]

Is that the one that just came out? That's the one I am getting ready to start.

Yup, it sure is! I’m just starting week 2.


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[Olorin]

Deep question. It has been a tough year going through the loss of a father-in-law, and my father, and two and a half years ago, my mother. My children are also growing up; one has graduated college and found a job three hours from us (praise God he found a job!), another is finishing college, and our youngest will soon be starting college. This has reminded me life is a journey, and although there are many pleasures in life Earth is not our true home.

For thirty years of this journey I have been married, and even though there have been struggles (over sex, how to handle difficult members of our extended families, how many sports our kids should play,..., what temperature to set the thermostat at) I am very, very, grateful for my DW who has been my faithful partner through the good and bad. So, I guess that is what God is teaching me; gratitude for being married to a truly wonderful spouse and mother to my children.