Happy Monday! Growing Pains

Growth does not come without pain. {My wisdom tooth is growing, so I can testify this first hand!}

Growth will stretch you. It will frustrate you. It may even upset you but it is necessary to move you from point A to point B.

Look at babies and how quickly they grow. However it is needed in order for them to reach adulthood. God wants us to grow too.

Are you growing, today?

Facts about growth:
- To grow something needs to die. You need to let go and say goodbye to certain things in order to move into the new thing that God has for you.
- It is inconvenient. Growth will force you to make changes, lose some friends, give up some old habits. Pretty much things we won't want to do.
- To grow we must stand the pressure of hard work. Growth and laziness do not go hand in hand.

- It is 'kaizen' - continuous improvement, a change for the better.
- Like the green shoots that force their way through the concrete pavements - growth will move everything in its path to achieve its goal.

Don't be afraid to grow...who's knows what you will become.

Here's to a great week!

Weekend Wedding Love – Girlfriends

Every Saturday I plan to post my favourite wedding photo found online with a little comment about what the picture means to me.

This week we’re looking at Girlfriends.

Crossing over from Miss to Mrs, it is a time when friendships change and evolve.

Some friendships deepen, others fall by the wayside and new ones are formed. It’s not a time to be sad, that is just the way life is.

Girlfriends are important and while not all my friends can be bridesmaids, I plan to honour and recognise them all on our special day, as they have been by my side through thick and thin.

What does girlfriends mean to you and any tips on how to handle the changes throughout the wedding planning process?

{Photo - uber talented Tunji Sarumi}

You’ll have to speak to my agent…

Asking for permission.

Some call it old fashioned, some have it as a must-do. What’s your take?

Is it still a requirement these days for men to ask for permission to marry their future wife, from the bride’s father?

Women, would you want your fiancé to ask for your hand in marriage, before proposing?

{Picture from Cartoon Stock}

Integrity

I came across this verse in my quiet time today.

How amazing is this promise!

Image {David Niblack}

Affirmations of Oneness

Following on from Monday’s post, here are some positive ways to affirm oneness. Some are more relevant to married couples specifically, however like I said yesterday, oneness is a journey.

1)   Commit yourself to never mention or even entertain the thought of divorce or separation of any kind as a possible way out.

2)   Spend time together. Have a ‘date’ once a week.

3)   Completely forgive the other for their sins. Don’t harbour bitterness. “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

4)   Express affection and desire for each other beyond the bedroom.

5)   Talk together about issues, children and other needs.

6)   Think through and discuss how you two complement each other.

7)   Refuse to argue together. Acknowledge differences but then solve problems.

8)   Pray together regularly. (More than at meal time!)

9)   Study God’s Word together.

10) Develop a family vision. (How does God want you as a family {and couple} to minister in this world?)

Which ones are you doing already? Any more to add?

{Foundations of Freedom}