“Home should be…a place of happiness and joy, laughter and rejoicing. A place to bring friends without the feeling of embarrassment. A place where someone will listen, share, love and understand. A place of quietness, yet a place of life and activity. A haven from a cruel world. A place where they want to be and stay.”

Taken From The Generation to Come by Glenn Taylor

Life Lessons Learned on the Way to Marriage- Part 2

Sorry it’s taken me so long for part two of my article. Hope you enjoy.

• God will bring you to a point in your life where you will want to spend more time with your fiancé and less time with your family. “Now, hold on one minute!” I read your mind, didn’t I? Let me explain myself. I didn’t say you completely forsake your family and only spend time with your fiancé. That isn’t biblical, but I do believe this is a growing point in your life (please note, I feel this pertains more to the couple that knows God has intended them to marry). This is God preparing you for that verse in the Bible, “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife;” (Mark 10:7) Those who know me know that my family is a huge part of my life, and it is comforting to me that God has brought a man into my life to fill part of that spot and begin a new family together.
• The wife sets the tone of the home, and you set the tone of your current relationship. I heard somewhere that the wife/mother sets the tone of the home. You’ve heard it: “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” I am not married yet but I am forming habits as we talk and spend time with each other. If every time we talk I criticize or complain (one of my biggest struggles), I am setting a habit for our future home. I know that is wrong and I know I want our home to be a haven of rest, security, peacefulness and evidence that the Lord is the Master there. Watch the habits you are forming now, and weed out the bad ones.

Life Lessons Learned on the Way to Marriage

Recently I started getting an e-magazine called Ladies in Waiting by a single girl named Sarah Ann. I don't agree with everything that is said, and they do use the wrong Bible version sometimes. When you sign up as a member you have access to all the older magazine where there is a vast array of information in these articles. I only got them to read for a while but the magazine is made up of articles submitted by girls around the world. The one topic interested me, Content in the Here and Now. So I wrote an article for it. I really enjoyed doing it and the next magazine I wanted to write for, as it had to do with missions, but I was too busy with schoolwork.

I was very surprised by the topic for the upcoming issue of Ladies in Waiting,Preparing for Marriage and Keeping Pure, because I am in this stage of life.I've been wanting to post some of these lessons I've learned so I decided to post it in incriments like I wrote it for the magazine.

I am engaged to be married to the most wonderful godly man that could have been created to complete me. Less than four months remain until the wedding, and I am also graduating from Bible college in less than 3 weeks, my life is busy and sometimes I rush about so much I have to learn things the hard way. There are things you never really thought about or could really fathom as a single lady, that all changes when God brings that special person into your life. Your life has a whole new focus, you want to be the best person you can be for that person and this is where one of the first lessons comes into play:

1. To be the best person for your future spouse, you must strive to be the best you can for God.
   If I am living my life as the woman God wants me to be than I will be the woman Matthew needs me to be. Rather than trying to live to please the people in my life I must strive to please God and all other’s needs will be fulfilled.