Love...no matter the feeling

So for those of you whom read this blog I am trying to let life and the Lord guide my posts.  As of late we (Tano and I) have been coming into contact with soo many couples who are seriously struggling,  struggling to keep there marriages intact.  This grieves our hearts so greatly! We are not perfect at marriage and we do not claim to be experts on it, but what we do have is a strong rooted marriage that has been tested and battered and has stood strong threw every raging storm.  I AM GRATEFUL!  We pray for you who are in the middle of the wavering seas and see no land on the horizon.  We want to help you all, but I know it is not always up to us to solve others problems.  God is the Strength of our marriage and Pride is the destroyer.  When I think I deserve something more, better or greater than what I have, my pride is in control.  This I know from the trial and errors of our  own marriage.  The times I put my self above my husband, my needs above my families are the times I feel most unsatisfied in this life.  There is no magic cure for selfishness but to lay your life down and/or to give it away.  I know some of you say "but I do this every day and get nothing in return".  Well I ask you to think of your savior who lays his life down for you and what do we give him in return, a meager morsel of ourselves.  He has not called us to live in comfort and blessing our whole life, he says we will have trials and endure storms and those produce patience and threw patiences perfect work you will be whole and complete.  He does not say perfect or totally happy in your life or even satisfied with  your situation....he says whole and complete...lacking nothing.  We think we deserve such great things as joy overflowing and prosperity in life and in love but these are not blessings of this world and are not found fully in your spouse.  These things are gifts from God found within his spirit when dwelling in his presence.  If you are longing to find peace in yourself and joy in the greener pastures....than you may be disappointed in every relationship you have.  The magic we all long for is in his holy presence!  He is the love of our lifetime our soulmate our place of refuge.
I know the hard part is enduring even the most cold, rude unloving of situations, but the reward lies in the life to come(for all eternity) and not in this one.  My hubby and I fight, argue, have seasons where we just don't get along but those are and should be the times I find my comfort in the heavenly father/lover not forcing my earthly man to be what he cannot at that time.  Please know I am not naive, there are serious situations out there that need the help of a counselor or authority, but for most marital issues there really needs to be a laying down of the "I" and the Pride and leaving it all at our saviors feet.  Our Lord hates divorce, that to me is a serious statement, to ignore his heart and do one of the things he hates..... Remember people (as most of you have heard before) love is a choice, we do not always feel love or feel like loving but again those are our feelings if we base all of life on how we feel we would be in a sorry state for sure!

Now this is just my heart, not perfectly quoted or filled with great revelation. I have a good thing in my life and make it a priority to keep this good thing going strong. By His grace and threw His spirit!

I will maybe make a list or something with Tano of the things we think are most important for a man and a woman to stay bonded in a marriage. :) We love you all so much and want to see God have his perfect plan played out in your life...Stay strong people, stay strong!