By Wendy
As a followup to our Relationships Panel, we asked our panelists to weigh in on questions we didn’t have time to cover. Here’s Wendy’s take:
How do you handle making important decisions, especially if you feel God is leading you in a different direction?
After you talk out the decision with your spouse, you pray and wait. In my experience God has not asked my spouse and I to do things where we are not unified. If you feel God is leading you in a different direction, I would seriously consider talking over this plan with a Christian mentor and spend time in prayer that you and your spouse would have unity in the decision.
Jesus asks us to go wherever He is going in our lives, and I think we need to have the same attitude with our husbands. Simply letting my husband know that I stand by him has had more impact and has shown him more love than butting heads over a decision. If we yield out of love for the sake of our husbands, I believe that God honors that.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6
How do you avoid placing more importance on your relationships (spouse & kids) than your relationship with God?
I think quiet time is vital to a relationship with God, but with the busyness of a family I have learned to become creative with what quiet time actually looks like. I have found that I “tune in” to God with my Bible reading and prayer, and “tune out” the noise that the kids make. I take advantage of car rides alone and use that time to pray or worship. Planning ahead with my spouse and asking for a few hours to myself gives me time to have uninterrupted quiet time where I can lay out some things before God that I may not always have time to do.
With this being said, God is relational and our family is a reflection of that. By taking care of my family and meeting the needs of my kids and husband is a way to show God that I love Him and am being a good steward of what He has given me. Reflecting throughout the day on what God has provided and created helps me to stay close and keep my eyes on Christ. Searching for things to be thankful for helps me look to the Father. I keep verses on note cards above my sink and that helps me to focus on the truth of Jesus.
I do fail, but having a reading and prayer plan helps to avoid complete failure. Thankfully, God offers us grace and forgiveness daily. Persevere to find what fits best for you and your family. God knows the demands of your life, talk to Him about it.
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11