I was sick, really sick, like you don’t want the details gross kind of sick. At first, my husband was a wonderful helper, getting me ginger ale from the store, retrieving ice packs from the freezer and putting different DVDs in for me to watch. It was wonderful having him there to take care of me. And then, the inevitable happened, he got sick too.
Now I don’t handle sickness on a good day. Just imagine how I felt now that we were both on our backs on the couch, neither of us feeling like we could help the other at all. It wasn’t fun. Just the same, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to be there for my husband. I needed to get him wet rags and cups of ginger ale and the throw blanket from over in the corner . I need to love with a sacrificial kind of love, the kind of love that would take care of my husband even when I myself was feeling pretty sick. This was the first time loving my husband was truly a sacrifice for me. For the most part loving him is pretty enjoyable. This wasn’t, so I definitely need some help from God.
And so I prayed to God to help us through this day. I prayed to God to help me find the strength to care for my husband and to love him with a truly sacrificial love.
And amazingly I did it. I still wasn’t completely well, but God gave me the strength to do the menial tasks that needed to be accomplished. I cleaned up after us, kept our glasses filled with ginger ale, and with the help of God made it through the rest of our day of sickness.
I don’t think that God made us sick on Sunday. But I do think he had something very important to teach me on that day. He wanted me to truly see what sacrificial love feels like, and what it’s like to depend on Him to get from one moment to the next. This isn’t a lesson I’ll forget very soon.
Here are some verses that were on my heart today. I hope they bless you too:
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29 NIV)
“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35 NIV).
“Love is patient, love is kind…. it is not self-seeking…. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-5,7-8 NIV)
Joy is a choice, isn’t it? I’ve always assumed that a person chooses how to address a situation. They can choose to be joyful, or they can choose to be critical. They can choose to have their cup half full or choose to have it half empty empty. I had never thought of joy as a gift from God, until now.
It happened in church. We were singing a song, asking for God to anoint us with the oil of joy. The image stuck. I’ve loved this picture of anointing ever since.
This image of anointing crops up in Psalm 45:7 and Hebrews 1:9. Here’s what it says in the New Testament: “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.’” (Hebrews 1:8-9).
Blue Letter Bible, one of my favorite online references says this about this image: “At feasts, people were anointed with the ‘oil of gladness’. Hebrews 1:9 alludes to this inaugural ceremony of anointing, and uses it as an emblem of the divine power and majesty to which to which the Son of God has been exalted.”
Isn’t this a wonderful image? Wouldn’t it be great if we anointed each other with the oil of joy in our gatherings today? I would love to have even a drip of this oil.
At times I live my life in such a rush. I run from one thing to the next, worrying how I’ll ever get it all done. I don’t often take time to truly stop and praise God for this wonderful life he has given me. He has given my husband a solid job in the military, one that fits him like a glove. He has given us a church family, a home, and dear extended family to look forward to over the holidays. He has given us a solid income so that we can pay our bills each month. And he has given us a great love for each other that only grows with time. I have so much to be joyful about. So much to praise my Savoir for, but I often don’t.
On my own I’m an overworked, crazy mess. I try to be joyful on my own, but I’m often too anxious about getting everything done. I need a joy that can only be bestowed by my Savoir. I need a joyfulness that only comes from him, and won’t diminish with time. I need to be anointed with joy today.
What about you?
The holidays have an entirely different feeling now that I’m married and living halfway across the country. While I used to spend every single holiday with my family, now these times are split between my hubby’s family and my own. There’s a bit of bitter-sweetness that comes with this aspect military life. No longer am I several hours away from my parents, but instead states upon states separate us. That’s why the holidays are so exciting to me. The next to months will be filled with hugs, food, and stories from the past. It will also be full of packages, suitcases, and Christmas secrets. I can hardly wait!
Believe it or not I’m already working on my Christmas gifts. I decided to get a head start since I’m going the homemade route this year. This brings with it a lot of joy and a lot of stress. I want my gifts to be perfect, so it frustrates me when I once again read the directions wrong and have to tear out all of the seams on a sewing project. I did this last week, and left the project in disgust, not coming back to it this morning.
I could have grumbled this morning as I sat tearing out seams, but I didn’t. Instead, I enjoyed the quiet morning and put on some Christmas music as I was seam ripping. (Yes, I know, it’s a bit early for such music but I can’t help it, I love the holidays that much!). Instead of dwelling on the tediousness of the task, I thought about how my relative would look when they saw this finished gift. I know their eyes will light up, and they’ll be full of thankfulness, not because it’s perfect, but because I made it for them. That, to me, is part of what Christmas is all about. It’s about loved ones, giving to others, and celebrating the ultimate gift God gave to us in his Son Jesus Christ. So for today, instead of grumbling, I’m looking forward to the blessings of the holidays, and trying not to stress about all the little details.
This blog was posted as a part of Chatting at the Sky’s Tuesdays Unwrapped.
One of my significant roles, as a military wife, is that of money manager. I’m not a math wiz, but it seemed to make sense for me to budget our money each month. Beside the fact that I do the largest amount of spending, ahem, this is also in preparation for future deployments. Whenever my husband deploys, it will be up to me to pay all the bills and keep things in order. If I don’t learn how to do this now, while I can ask my husband questions, our finances could be in dire straights later on in our marriage, when an ocean separates us for extended periods of time.
To be honest, we haven’t always had a perfect handle on things. With just the two of us, we have more money on our hands than ever before. We’ve been married for almost 14 months now, and this is the first month that we truly, completely stayed within our budget. How victorious! It feels so wonderful. It’s been a hard battle setting up a household budget. We’ve had to stretch money from one category to another, seeing where money was needed and where it needed to be saved. It’s wonderful to know that we’re on track as we go into the holiday season.
Why is managing money so important to us, you may ask? Because we believe that God has called us to be good stewards of what he has blessed us with here on this earth. Consider the Proverbs 31 woman. She provides food for her family (vs. 15), makes wise money investments (vs. 16, 18), gives to those in need (vs. 19), and always makes sure her own family is well clothed (vs. 20).
By being a good steward and managing our household affairs, I can make sure that our family is always taken care of. My husband has the immense job of earning a living for us, but my job is equally important in making sure that that money is spent wisely. It’s a career in and of itself.
How does your family manage money? Does God have any part in your finances?
