Hold On To Your Marriage! Don't Let Go!

Elizabeth Taylor was a woman of passion. She married eight times--twice to Richard Burton. She claims Michael Todd and Richard Burton were the loves of her life. Sad that Michael Todd died. Unfortunate that she and Richard just couldn't get along. It's tragic that this great woman of passion searched over and over again for happiness in marriage and she never found it. Asked, if she would marry again, she proclaimed, "Oh no!..."

I'm a little like Elizabeth Taylor. I don't have her talent or her beauty, but I do have her passion for love and for marriage. Today, I thank God that the first and the tenth year of my marriage when I wanted to run, I stayed. I shudder to think what my life would have been had I successfully thrown away this dear man I adore.

Thank you God, for my one husband who I love with all my heart. He still sends tingles down my spine, butterflies in my tummy, and tears of gratitude in my eyes at just the thought of him.

It isn't always so. But we hold on during the difficult times, we grow closer as we work out our differences. Our love blossoms as we dig in and commit to make our marriage grow stronger and longer.

This I know: Many say if they had worked as hard at their first marriage as they worked at their second, there would not have been a second marriage. Too many give up too soon for too little reason.

How about you? Are you at the end of your rope? Hold on. Don't let go. I thank God He held Dan and I together when I wanted us apart. We needed a miracle and we trusted in a miracle-working God. What He did for us, He can do for you. Cling to Him when your marriage seems hopeless. Remember that nothing is impossible for God.

To me, Elizabeth Taylor was a delicate child desperate to love and to be loved. I wonder if she ever knew how deeply Jesus loved her and how desperately He wanted her to love Him. In Jesus, she would have found what she was searching for in husbands. For He alone can satisfy the needs a man can never fulfill.

Praying your marriage is a splash of serenity that keeps on splashing!

Elaine

The Church Should Be a Glimpse of Heaven

Pinch me! Was I just served shrimp while flying economy class on Lufthansa Airlines to Bosnia? Yes, it is shrimp. Jumbo shrimp! Did three flight attendants dote on me for the seven-hour plane ride? "Anything you want?" "You need anything? I will get it for you."

This is like Heaven! At first I thought so, but then realized no one will need to ask me what I want in Heaven--I'll already have it!

"These people are well trained," I whispered to Dan. "I want to fly Lufthansa again."

Are the airlines doing a better job than our churches in making people feel loved? That's a sad thought. Perhaps Christians would benefit from the training Lufthansa Airlines offers its employees. I don't think so. What Christians need is to put into practice the training they already have through the Holy Spirit.

We have the Ultimate Instructor when the Holy Spirit controls our lives. Then, we see people the way Jesus sees them. We love them, as Jesus loves them. We discern needs and ask the right questions and see that the strangers entering our churches are comfortable, accepted, loved, and tended to.

Landing in Germany, we were greeted by a large sign reading "MUNICH LOVES YOU!" Munich doesn't love me, but Jesus does. People should sense "JESUS LOVES YOU!" when they enter our church halls. Let's care for the strangers walking through our church doors. Greet them. Ask if they need anything. Direct them to restrooms, or the nursery, or a Sunday School class. Make them feel comfortable, loved, and cared about and they might decide your church is a little like Heaven and they want to fly with you every Sunday.

I'd benefit from further comments on this topic. Let's learn from each other how we can minister to those who seek Him.

May we be a Splash of Serenity to a world that thirsts for the love only Jesus offers.

Blessings on your day!

Elaine