A side of Honey- Ali's Post

     Oh how I love honey....the sweet taste, the rich velvety texture, the pure golden color....you can taste it can't you? There is precious little better than HONEY. Vinegar..enough said. Can you smell it? Is your jaw tightening? I give my husband a vinegar/cayenne pepper mix when he is suffering from a cold. It BURNS people. My throat is constricting just thinking about it. My daddy is a wise man. He has lots of cute little sayings, and my second favorite one is: You get a whole lot more flies with honey than with vinegar. If I were a fly, I'd haul my winged self straight for the honey. How does this apply to us?
    My husband came home recently quite frazzled. I couldn't put my finger on it. Work was great for him...he hadn't had any major crisis...but something wasn't right. Finally, when we went to bed he spoke up. He had been around a couple for a few hours. He said he felt sorry for the husband..I asked why? His wife he said exasperatedly. Y'all. This lady is very pretty and petite, and usually very kind. I was puzzled. Why do you feel sorry for him? She's great!...apparently she wasn't so great that night and it even wore my husband down. What did she do? Her words were unkind. Anything her husband said, she contradicted. Anything he asked to be done, she explained why it wouldn't work. Anytime anyone asked him about what he needed them to do, she chimed in on what needed doing next. She used vinegar...and it burned not only her husband, but mine as well.
     There are so many things in this world that compete for our husbands' attention: beautiful women, freedom from responsibility, alcohol...you name it. They daily (sometimes even more often) are faced with a decision. Doing the right thing or giving it all up for freedom to do as the flesh wants? We as women don't fully understand the war that rages for their attention. I was thinking of fishing this morning. Tim's Papaw was an excellent fly fisherman from the smoky mountains. All the lures amaze me. It is truly like a dance while they fish on the moving waters up there. Time is taken to lure the fish...movements are precise...everything is done with extra purpose. Our husbands are like those fish. There are so many things trying to entice them out of the water....you know what doesn't help? They see that lure on  top of the water...so pretty and adventurous....then they turn around and see us spewing vinegar..not using our beautiful feminity God granted us. It's a great gift, but when we pour vinegar instead of honey, we are abandoning God's intricately designed gift for us. It's the greatest lure of all. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who knows who she is in Christ. There is a peace about her, a sweetness if you will. Her husband delights in her. Just remember when you are tempted to spew vinegar, the Enemy has a lure dangling above your husbands head. Pull out your tackle box ladies (it kind of looks like a kaboodle for you non-fisherwomen...) Be purposeful in this dance with your husband. He is ultimately responsible for what lure he chooses, but we ought to do our best to make sure ours is sweet as honey.
 
     Now I know what y'all are thinking..I am with you. It's impossible to be sweet as honey all the time. Situations arise that call for confrontation and resolution. Yep! Another post, another day! I want an authentic marriage. What about you? :)

First and Foremost

       Hello friends! I am so glad you have stopped in. I have been so burdened this past year about marriage. My husband, Tim and I have been married for 10 years on December 13 this year. I say without reservation this has been the hardest year we have had in our marriage. I adore him. I love him. I want to spend forever with him, but is that enough? I have to answer for us...it wasn't. We had to let God come in and work on our hearts and in our lives. It was then that I realized how few resources there really are out there with substance concerning marriage.
       So what is my purpose for this blog? I want to create a place that is filled with wisdom from many different people. I want to use wisdom from children who have benefited from a momma and daddy who have a wonderful marriage. I want to hear from wives and husbands who have testimonies on what has kept them going. I even want to hear from those who have suffered the devastating loss of marriage. We can all glean from each other. We all have real struggles. We all have real hurts and pain. Think about it: two people with a sin nature, with hurt and pain from the past, come together and try to make a life. They have many pressures to endure together: to succeed, to be involved socially, to raise a family, to take care of extended family, to pay bills, to be involved in the local church...throw all that on top of..."Oh yeah, make sure you make your spouse happy". It's a recipe for disaster, yet with the right tools, and the right heart, it can be the most beautiful gift (next to salvation) the Lord gives us. The Bible talks about the body of believers strengthening each other. That is exactly what I would love to see happen. We can do this! I look forward to moving forward with this with many of you on board. God bless :)