Message from Todd |
| Posted by RH Admin (rhadmin) on Feb 06 2007 at 10:41 PM |
It seems like the more I learn about the nature of God the more I realize how much I am not like him. I know that when he sees me it is with an eye of unconditional love and acceptance, but in my life here on this earth, I have a long way to go. For those of you who know me, you hear me hammer on a few key topics pertaining to us as followers of Christ. Namely, “Life is about relationships”. First our relationship with our Heavenly Father, second is our relationship with our wife, and third is our relationship with our kids. It amazes me how we can believe it, receive it, teach it and still miss it. I don’t know about the rest of ya’all but I have an amazing capacity to judge others by there actions and judge myself by my intensions. I don’t intentionally live my days in disobedience yet I still disobey.
I want to share the following as an attempt to allow what the Lord has done in us to overflow into you. I have neglected my relationship with Leslie in many ways over the last 15 years and it has showed up in a variety of ways. Although Leslie’s commitment to me has never wavered, her feelings toward me have. Recently I have had to deal with the reality that what I have been doing or not doing in our relationship has hurt her and caused her to withdraw from me emotionally. Praise the Lord that we do have his Spirit dwelling within each of us and a great Kingdom minded family that has given great counsel and encouragement. Although I don’t believe Leslie and I would have ever said that our marriage was in trouble, it’s critical times like this that determine the type of marriage we will have the rest of our lives. It is becoming far too common to see couples divorce after twenty, thirty, or even forty years of marriage. In fact, it is now considered a rarity to see couples who are enjoying a marriage of true intimacy and joy. Each of you reading this may want to consider your own marriage. Do you still have those heart felt warm fuzzies toward one another or has your marriage become one of complacency and distance. You may see that the only thing that keeps you together is a commitment, common property and relationships.
Men! A special warning. Most women when asked will say they don’t have the in love feelings toward their husband any more. The worst of it is if you ask the husbands of those same woman they say that everything is great. Sometimes we just don’t get it. Remember we have an amazing command from our Father. We are to love our wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it. This giving of ourselves requires us to lay things down and also to pick things up. For me, this meant a complete change in the way I do ministry outside of my home as well as in my home. I have spent the last fifteen years of our lives trying to carry the hurts of others. The Holy Spirit has revealed to me that the burdens I have been carrying are his to carry and I am to release it to him. This is no longer something I talk about. It has become a revelation that has freed me up to give more of myself to my wife. This past weekend I took Leslie to a remote cabin about an hour north of our home here in Idaho. It cost about $700.00 and the involvement of eight other families to take care of kids and critters. But what it did in our relationship, priceless! Sounds like a commercial huh? I don’t believe the quick fix way of doing things is the answer, but the decisions made in obedience to our Father is the solution. Consider your household. Men accept the role given to you. Die to yourself!
In the service of the King of Kings,
Todd and Leslie
