Cherishing life with a merry heart!

So many things to do. So many places to go. I don't have enough time. What do I need to get done tomorrow? These are often things that run through my head. The endless lists that I carry on writing so that hopefully the next day will go smoother. But tonight....I'm learning to have a sense of calm. My husband came home tonight not feeling the greatest. Now, I don't think it's really a sick "I'm not feeling good" but rather a "I'm so stressed" not feeling good. There is so much going on right now with us between me going to school, trying to find a nanny, how are we going to afford this and that (mostly the costs of adding school into the mix when it will be 6 classes), my husband's work demands....all those kinds of things. I was also feeling the stress today. It wasn't until right before dinner that I realized I need to get through my days cherishing life with a merry heart! We can all get so caught up in our day to day routines and stressing about these things, but really it doesn't do us any good. In the Bible, it says, "A merry doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22) and "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." (Proverbs 15:13).

If we could all just lean on the Lord and know that He is good, faithful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful God, it would make our lives just a little easier! I was so thankful that He brought me to that place where I could remember to be merry. It is so important to be "merry" for your husband. I mean, the Lord created us to be our husband's "help meet". So if I let my stressful day make my husband's day even more stressful, I'm not being my husband's help meet. Now, I'm not suggesting that we cover up things that go wrong in our day and put on a fake smile as to pretend life is perfect. But just remembering to smile at our husbands when they walk in the door without bombarding them every little detail of our day. Remembering to be his soft place to fall, remembering the little things we would go out of our way to do for them when we dated them, remembering to laugh often, remembering to cherish every moment.

Tonight I tried to cherish my husband, by staying up to unplug his helicopter battery when it finally finished charging (I know sounds silly, but I know it's a big deal for him) and in the mean time, while I waited, I rubbed his head to help him relax and fall asleep. I've rubbed his head many times, but tonight, I really took the time to cherish the moment. I stared at him as he fell asleep and I just prayed for him and his day tomorrow. I don't know what the days hold, but I sure do love this man that the Lord blessed me with. I am so thankful every day to have such a wonderful man who is willing to work so hard for me and the kids and couldn't be more thankful that he puts all his wants and needs aside to tend to our family. I can only hope that everyday I give him the same, by giving our marriage and family my all. It's definitely a two way street.

I challenge you today to make it a point for the next 30 days to constantly remember to be merry. They say that's about how long it takes to make a habit out of it!