does

Is God testing you?

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

We’re all going to encounter challenges along life’s journey.  Some of you may be in the middle of a marriage crisis.  Some of you are facing a health or financial challenge.  Or maybe you are in the middle of a really difficult situation with one of your children, or your mother-in-law.  It’s so natural in the middle of those challenges to throw up your hands in despair.  It’s even tempting to give up on believing that God is good and has a plan to bring something good out of the painful trial. 

But have you considered that God may be allowing that trial to test whether your faith is genuine?  Psalm 11:5 says, “The Lord tests the righteous…”  Maybe God is waiting to see whether you’re only willing to trust Him and obey Him when times are good.  Maybe God is asking you stay steady and calm in the middle of the storm as you stubbornly keep your eyes on Him.  Maybe God is testing you to see if you truly believe that He is good and will bring something good out of this distressing situation.  Afterall, He makes that promise in Romans 8:28.

What will you do during the challenge or trial?  What you do, and how you react, reveal what you actually believe about God.  Is your faith solid?  Is your faith genuine?  Can your trust in God withstand the test?

Handling irritation with your husband!

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

Are there some little things your husband does that drive you nuts?  You’re not alone!  I was talking about conflict resolution with a group of wives recently and we started sharing some of the little things our husbands do that irritate us.  We laughed and laughed because some of the things that were really getting under our skin are actually just plain funny when you pause to think about them.  One wife shared her frustration with dirty socks taken off and left at the front door.  Another wife shared her irritation with her husband about his habit of folding sopping wet towels instead of hanging them to dry. 

As we vented our frustration, two things became clear.  First, none of these annoying little things actually matter!  They are not sinful behaviors at all. They’re just irritating (and possibly a little weird. Lol). Secondly, if we were to continue complaining about these things to our husbands, they would likely view that as nagging, which is pretty unattractive to most husbands!  Proverbs 21:19 puts it this way, “Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.”  Ouch!

Maybe it’s time for you to choose to chuckle about some of the frustrating and irritating little things your husband does instead of complaining and criticizing.  Both you and your husband will probably be happier!