Marriage/Love/Romance

I fed myself a steady diet of romance movies and novels when I was growing up. I even read all those so called "Christian romance" novels. This was the sum of my knowledge about marriage and romance. Suffice it to say I was an idiot when I got married. I totally bought that you would know that you'd found the "right one" when everything clicked and you heard or at least felt the background violins. So, when Colin and I had difficulties or conflict, I not only felt the defeat of that argument in that moment, I also felt the defeat of Hollywood telling me that I'd married the wrong one. I was sure I'd made a mistake until we made up and I felt "in love" again, and then I thought maybe it wasn't a mistake. Until the next argument came along. I bet y'all are so jealous of Colin finding such a catch as me,eh?! Anyway, it's been a long time coming, but I'm starting to learn to look at marriage with a biblical perspective and not a Top Gun, Princess Bride, Sixteen Candles one. Uh-oh I think I've dated myself with those pop culture references from the eighties.

So, now that I'm so old and a little wise, I realize that marriage is supposed to be a reflection of Christ and His church's relationship. There will be many opportunities for the husband to learn to love someone despite their total lack of loveability, and there will be plenty of opportunities for wives to learn to honor and respect their husbands despite being absolutely sure that they're wrong. Only in this give and take and bowing the will of oneself for the other can we truly find happiness and joy. Through being considerate, patient, forgiving, we will truly know the indescribably close bond of being husband and wife. Only then will we know the depths and beauty of being truly "in love." Marriage is for happiness, but it's not through the path that Cameron Diaz or Bradd Pitt will lead you. It's through a lot of sanctification and selflessness. And it is truly a beautiful thing.

The Twelve Days of a Large Family Christmas

I have heard every one of these stranger comments at least a dozen times. Very fun. Merry Christmas!

Six Months Old!

634, originally uploaded by cgclan2003.

Patience decided to give us a present for her six month birthday. She's not only crawling all over the place, but she's now officially sitting up on her own. Sorry for Grace's foot in the picture but it's not easy getting a picture of Patience all on her own. She's usually got a brother or sister or two hovering around waiting to hug and kiss and play with her. :)

Santa Claus

We've made it a point to teach our kids the truth about Santa Claus from the beginning. We want them to always be able to trust that we will never trick them, fool them, or lie to them. We have two neighbor kids that often talk to our kids through the fence along our driveway. Yesterday, Noah told them that Santa Claus isn't real. These poor kids defended their belief to the end, even to the point of saying they knew it was true because their parents told them so. Then they told Noah that his dad didn't know anything. I feel sorry for these kids. One day they will realize it is actually they who have been duped and by their own parents at that.

Go listen now!!

Colin is on the Chalcedon podcast tonight with Chris Ortiz and Andrea Schwartz. He did a great job!! He's so smart and really interesting to listen to. I learned a lot by listening and I'm married to the guy! :) Don't go watch tv tonight, listen to this instead!

Whatdoyathink?!

Do y'all like my new template? Now that Colin has more time on his hands, he comes up with some of the greatest computer tricks for me. I am so excited to come to my blog now just so I can look at the pretty chocolate. Mmmm... With bailouts and layoffs and whatnot, we're talking about stocking up on food and supplies. I told Colin we'd better make sure to have lots of chocolate on hand if something does happen. Otherwise, things might get really ugly around here ;)

Leaving the couch

Ironically, just a few days after posting last, Colin got laid off from his job. A sign of the times and not his work ethic for sure. But it got me thinking a little more about what I wrote. I should not have implied that Colin's great work ethic is the only reason why we have prospered. It is God alone who makes rich or poor and not man. Colin worked hard, but he could just as easily have had nothing to show for it and no job for the last five years if God had not allowed it.

This takes me to motivation. The reason we work hard is not so that we get things or prosper. We try to work hard because God is a hard worker and we want to be like Him. The Commandments teach us to work six days, but our culture teaches us that five is more the norm and only eight hours at a time too. After that and you deserve to sit in front of the tv for 4-5 hours to decompress. Oh, and don't forget about those 2-4 weeks of vacation that we need too. I have soo been guilty of this line of thinking. It really is just one more way that God's ways are not the world's ways, and, many times, not middle class America's ways.

I've been following Amy's posts about "How We Did It" and they are full of good advice. One of her main points is about her work ethic. Her vacations consist of home improvement projects and her leisure time is spent learning or working on things that will benefit their family. This is not to say that we live for making money, but that we are good stewards of what God has given and that whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God. I dare say, that couch potatoes aren't glorifying to God (finger pointing right back at myself here).