How Many is Too Many?

Almost a year ago, I came to the great conclusion that I had entirely too much laundry to do. I couldn't make everyone stop wearing clothes & I certainly couldn't stop washing them. I had to figure out a different solution.

So, a little bit before Logan turned 1, I started having Austin & Makenzie hang up their own clothes.

Of course this didn't go over quite as smoothly as I had hoped it would and their closets will never look the way they did when I hung up their clothes, but hey, it took a little work of of me.

Or so I thought.

I am always getting behind on washing clothes. Therefore, I am always behind on sorting them out. Therefore, the kids are always behind on putting them away.

Yet another vicious cycle.

Austin is decent at getting his clothes hung up, even though he needs to be reminded several times and shirts tend to be more wrinkled when he pulls them from his closet than before they went in.

Makenzie is another story all together. It never ceases to amaze me at her level of thinking. She changes clothes 5 times a day & doesn't even entertain the thought of hanging something back up when she has only worn it 10 minutes. No matter how many times she is reminded, there is ALWAYS a pile of clothes in her closet floor. No matter how many times she is reminded, there is ALWAYS dirty clothes among the clean ones. No matter how many times she is reminded, I ALWAYS have to say it again.

This gets so old. I DREAD even walking into her room.

But, I went in to help, again.

Before I even began, I made her get all the clothes out of her closet floor & anything that magically appeared under her bed.

Lord have mercy. This is what that amounted to!

"How many times do I have to tell you?" "How many times do we have to go through this?" "Do you remember that the last time I promised you a spanking?"

Halfway through her pile, while I was wondering if things would ever change, I was thinking on "how many times?". I was reminded of another incident where "how many times?" was asked of another man.

Matthew 18:21-21 "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

Have I really went over the laundry issue 490 times? Do I really have to?

That made me wonder if this was a hidden message. Does Jesus only agree to forgive our sins 490 times? Or maybe He will forgive the same sin that many times?

How close am I to that number? Or have I gone WAY passed that many?

I don't know about that part, but I do know that His grace & forgiveness is far more than we deserve.

Devotions ~ Noah's Ark

Justin & I try, we really do try, to make time for devotions as a family. Unfortunately, time is not something in great abundance around our house. Yes, I know that I have the same 24 hours in my day that you do, but somehow, the majority of those 24 hours slips away from us.

So, with that being said, I'm going to try, really try, to post when we do make time for devotions. I am NOT doing this to brag. I am hoping that broadcasting to the world will make us a little more accountable. Hopefully it will remind us when we slack off.

Tonight, we studied Noah's Ark. We have studied it before & I'm sure we will study it again. The kids could tell us everything about the story. But this time, after reading from the Bible, we turned on the audio book of "the True Story of Noah's Ark". I believe they really enjoyed seeing the real perspective of the design, shape, & size of the ark.

Hey, do me a favor. If I go too long & you haven't noticed any devotions posted, please remind me. I won't get mad. I can use the encouragement & it might motivate you to read the Bible more in your home as well.

Does the Bible Really Say THAT?

Yes, ladies, I'm afraid to say it, but YES, the Bible does address s e x. And, oh trust me, like most women I talk to, I really fall short in this area.

There are several times in the Bible where God commands that the wife submit herself to her husband. Being the "Miss Independent" that I am, I'm not too fond of this part, but I try, I really try to submit myself lovingly to my husband.

Ephesians 5

22.Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23.For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24.Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25.Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Part of this submission also includes the marital bed. In 1 Corinthians, it clearly states that once we are married, we are no longer in complete control of our bodies.

1 Corinthians 7

1.Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2.Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3.Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4.The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5.Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

The reason I am even addressing this is because I believe that as a society, it has become the norm for women to withhold sex as a form of punishment when their husband makes them mad or doesn't live up to some expectation. I also believe that men see sex as a joke, something they are "entitled" to from any woman that they meet.

THIS NEEDS TO STOP!

Women, your husbands do not have to jump through hoops in order to receive physical pleasure! Men, your women (wives - preferably!) do not "owe" you anything!
God gave us sex as a way for husbands & wives to connect to one another in a way that not just anyone can.

Hebrews 13

4.Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled

I believe that if husbands & wives would start looking at sex through God's eyes instead of the way society has cheapened it, there would be a lot more happy homes, a lot less divorce & affairs, & a few more babies!

I, by no means, am everything that I need/desire to be. After all, between housework, homeschool, 3 kids - including a nursing baby, running here & there, a small farm, my wonderful blog (haha), & Blessed Boutique, I am one tired mama! This is a reminder to me as well! I NEED to invest in my marriage just like I would invest in my kids or my business!

So wives, I encourage you - be a little sweeter to your soul mate. Help him remember that feisty woman that he feel in love with.

I pray that God will reward your efforts & strengthen your love for each other!