I have been so blessed...

My life @ this moment in time is what I dreamed about growing up. Being married to an amazing husband, whose a great provider, fun to hang out with, and just all around great company to be around. And I get to be @ home with a beautiful girl who is just outrageously funny and who makes my day. (right now she is walking around with one of her cloth diapers in a grocery bag carring it like a purse) lol... I always wanted to be a stay at home mom being able to raise my children...and that is what I get to do...God is so good to me, "oh how He loves me"...and I just feel His love so much...He has spoiled me and oh how special He has made me feel. I would not ever want to trade my life in for anyone else's, I have my own problems, my own personality quirks but God knows them all and cares about them all, He helps me work through the problems and even probably laughs @ the personality quirks...I believe He has a great since of humor...that's why He made us all different...and we are all made in His image. ;) We are so blessed. THank you Lord for my life!!!

"Love Never Fails"

Oh How He loves Us...

The past few months I've been blogging about what I've been learning on how to love my husband. I've also been learning during this time how much God loves us. His love never will fail us. In His perfect, infinite love He will always lavish it upon us.
I heard for the first time the song "Oh How He Loves Us" by Kim Walker a few weekends ago and what a powerful song. (you can follow the link below to check out the video..enjoy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GFIJXWXiyI
Here's the lyric so you can see what I mean how God lavishes His love out on us..
"He is jealous for me Love's like a hurricane,
I am a tree Bending beneath the weight of
His wind and mercy When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed
by glory and I realize just how beautiful
You are and how great your affections
are for me. Oh, how He loves us so

Oh, how He loves us How He loves us so.

Yeah, He loves us Woah, how He loves usWoah,
how He loves us Woah, how He loves.So
we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His
eyes If grace is an ocean we're all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet
kiss and my heart turns violently inside of
my chest I don't have time to maintain these
regrets when I think about the wayThat he
loves us, Woah, how He loves us Woah, how
He loves us Woah, how He loves us"
His love truly will never fail!!!

There's so many scriptures in the Bible the just jump
off the page and tell us how much God loves us...
on of the most common ones is John 3:16
There's even a whole chapter in Psalm that talks of his steadfast love endures forever
Psalm 136
1O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
2O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.
3O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;
4who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;
5who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;
6who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;
7who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;
8the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;
9the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;
10who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for his steadfast love endures forever;
11and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever;
12with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever;
13who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever;
14and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever;
15but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever;
16who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever;
17who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;
18and killed famous kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;
19Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever;
20and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever;
21and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever;
22a heritage to his servant Israel, for his steadfast love endures forever.
23It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;
24and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever;
25who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.
26O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

His love does endure forever and while sharing about loving, cherishing, & honoring our spouses I can only think of what a perfect example God has given us to follow. There's no greater example of how to love someone whole-heartedly & unconditionally then the way God loves us...
He sacrificed being with His son and willingly gave His one & only precious son Jesus Christ just so that we can live eternally with Him...
That's true, unfailing Love

Now that's the perfect example of how to love our spouse. There will be times we have to a give up our own selfish desires and make sacrifices to show how much we truly love them. It's not always easy loving our spouse but then again I'm sure it's not always easy for my husband to love me at times either.
Thankfully our Heavenly Father is perfect and know's how to love us perfectly. Let's follow our Heavenly Father's example and love our spouse the way He loves us!!!

love, honor, and CHERISH

What does it really look like to CHERISH our spouses. Probably the majority of us said in our wedding vows that we would love, honor and cherish our spouse but have we really lived up to cherishing them each and every day? To be honest, I know I haven't cherished my husband each and everyday. I'm trying to learn what cherishing really means so that i can "love, honor and CHERISH" him the way God intended me to do.
CHERISH: [Verb] To care a lot for something or someone, treat with tenderness and affection; to nurture, hold dear, be fond of; be attached to; to embrace with interest; to indulge; to encourage; to foster; to promote; to protect and aid; To value something or someone; To retain a memory or wish in the mind of a source of pleasure or as an ambition; to feel love for.
I know that I definately care alot about my husband but I haven't always treated him with tenderness or affection...the everday grime gets in the way all to often. I definately can be a better nurturer if I really am honest with myself. Tommy does such an amazing job at nurturing me when I'm sick. There was only a few times when I got really sick while we were living in LA and Tommy called into work to stay home with me (since we didn't live near family) and had no one else around to take care of me...yes ladies he is very sweet and he is all mine=}. I need to learn from his example how to be a better nurturer when he gets sick. I do hold him dear to my heart but I know that I need to show it more in my actions to him. (I need to be a doer not just say "I love you" I need to show him how much I love him. For instance, by doing more special things for him, maybe take him to the park spend quality time with him, go to Barns and Nobles (one of our favorite date places...it's free to read there)=}
I also know I am fond of my husband but I defniately am no where near showing him how fond of him I am. It's so easy when we are first start dating our spouses to show them our fondness. (We're constantly thinking about how wonderful they are, so the actions just come naturally) I know I use to make Tommy a card almost every week, and a special scrapbook full of all the things I use to give him or make for him....oh how easy it is to let the daily grime get in the way.
={ sad to say it's oh so true!
And how many of us know that when we first started dating our spouses no one could pull us apart...we would go kicking and screaming before you could get us apart, but as the days go by after marriage turning into years passing it's good to get space every now and then from our spouse but we do still need to make sure we are coming back together, spending that quality time together to make sure we have the glue that keeps us attatched in the long run (when we cherish our spouse and think possitivily about them not allowing the wrongs to build up...that is the glue that will keep us together.)
When we embrace with interest we are truly listening to what our spouses are talking about, whether it's the most borring thing in the world to us but they maybe totally over-joyed about the subject and we are showing them we are interested not only in them but also in their quirks that make them up to be the person they are. So "be slow to speak and quick to listen"=]
When we indulge we take in fully, savoring the moment...so when we cherish our spouses we are fully taking them in and savoring every moment we have with them

for we don't know when our last one will be.

Are we fostering, promoting and protecting who our spouse is or are we going around complaining who they are not or who we wish they would be....remember the reasons why you married them, they are unique from who you are and that's why you married them (who would want to be married to a person just like our ownselves... I would definately get bored) My husband is definately a true gift from God, a special gift from above!!!
I most definately can improve on showing my husband the true value he is....he is a child of the Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, he has the favor of God upon His life and I just get to be a part of that blessing b/c I'm married to him.

Oh, how I know what the word CHERISH means on paper, now I need to put it into action and CHERISH Tommy the way God intending for me to.

May all of you been blessed and challenged by the "LOVE, HONOR AND CHERISH" series. I know that I sure have been. I truly look forward to God showing me more of how to Love, Honor, and cherish my most amazing husband for the rest of my life.

BLESINGS

Have you Blessed your Spouse Today?!

I know in my series it would be to write about cherishing our spouses but I just had an epiphany. This past Sunday I visited my parent's church (since I'm away from my hometown visiting family) and there was a gentleman, young at heart but was in his 80's who volunteers at the "Healing Room" in Spokane where they pray for people and then see God's hands at work at healing them. (I've heard amazing things about that place). Anyways, the epiphany struck me when after we were done chatting right before he left to go sit down with his wife he spoke a blessing over me... what I really started contemplating was what if as fellow believers in Christ and a part of the church if we spoke blessings over everyone we talked to before we left chatting with them. How would that really effect our lives, their lives and bring us together in unity...


Now lets take this epiphany a step further... what if we spoke a blessing over our spouses everyday before they left for work? Think about this for a moment: How would speaking a blessing over our spouses impact our relationship with them and how much would our love for each other grow? Our focus would be on positive things for them and how we would focus on how we could be a blessing to them instead of filling our minds of negative thoughts and complaints about them. Oh, I think how different would my marriage be if I did this every day for my husband?!

I have the most amazing husband ever and he is a true treasure from God. If I blessed him everyday for the rest of our lives he would feel like the true treasure God has made him.

*"Tommy Cruz, my beloved, you are the head & not the tail, you have the favor & anointing of God upon your life, you are blessed in the city & in the country, you are blessed in your coming & in your going, I am blessed because I married to you. Thank you for being my most amazing husband!" I LOVE YOU!!!

I will love, HONOR, & cherish

How do we HONOR our spouse throughout our lifetime together in Marriage?

Honor is: dignity, high regard or great respect given, enjoyed, given glory or a good reputation, to give credit to, a keen sense of right and wrong, done or given as a token, acts of respect, respect greatly, regard highly, esteem, treat deference and courtesy, to do or give something in honor, to accept, to accept as valid.

So when we tell our spouse we are going to "love, HONOR, & cherish" them we are stating to them that whether or not they deserve to be honored we are going to honor them. That's why love is a commitment we have to stick to. B/C we all know that after awhile of being married that our spouse may not always deserve to be honored but we gave them our word at the alter we are going to honor them...(plus if we really think about it how many of us deserve to be honored all the time) I know for me that I have some not so beautiful days and I don't deserve the love, honoring, and cherishing my husband gives me....thank God for His grace that flows threw my amazing husband.=} I think Romans 12:9-21 speaks so well on loving & honoring others even when they don't deserve it.

"love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share w/ God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn w/ those who mourn. Live in harmony w/ one another. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace w/ everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written "it is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head" Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil w/ good."

If we don't allow evil to overcome us in thoughts and actions but instead do good for our spouse and honoring them then I believe God will honor our marriage & bless it tremendously, beyond our wildest dreams...more then we could ever imagine possible for our relationships. May this bring you hope for your marriage and a challenge in the same way it has for me to honor your spouse in front of others and in front of them even when you don't feel like it or they don't deserve it...just remember how many times we don't deserve to be loved yet how much our spouse does love us even at times they may not show it... So, let's have the courage and strength to be the first to step out and HONOR our spouses setting the standard for our marriages & our relationship.

LOVE NEVER FAILS

Last but definately not least...

as we are coming to an end of 1 Cor. 13:4 - 8a this statement of "Love Never Fails"

ties all the rest of the words describing love together

(Love is.... patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no records of wrongs, does not delight in evil, it rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts always hopes, and always perseveres)

this statement brings all of the words together to the full impact of what love is stating that when you truly love your spouse in these ways your love for them will never fail and will always come through for that person...they know they can always count on you.

"Love Never Fails" !!!

I started this journey out with Love and what I believe love really is, because most of our Marriages start out with us falling in love with our spouses...that's why we married them. We have hopes and dreams we share together and desire to share our lives with that other person for a life time.

That's why Tommy and I got married...we had hopes and dreams we desired to share together living them out together for a lifetime... I'm sad to say I haven't always loved Tommy fully in the ways 1 corinthians describes love. After 5 years of marriage I have really taken a look at this passage of scripture and tried to love Tommy in each of these 15 ways. It's not easy but the results are definately worth it. I figured, Lord willing I have another good 40 + years I get to keep on loving Tommy in (patience, kindness, not being envious, not boasting, not being proud, not being rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs, not delighting in evil, but rejoices with the truth, always protecting, always trusting, always hoping for the best, and always persevering).

Baby, I'm looking forward to kissing you & loving you for another 40 + years. ;} you are the love of my life, and a dream come true. Thank you for loving me, for me!!!

(I'm the luckiest woman on earth to have such a great husband like you)!!!

Love Always Perseveres

Oh, this is a good one!!! It's not always easy to persevere through

hard times. I love running, and I hope to run a marathon someday.

I trained back in 2003 with Team in Training

(which is an organization that raises funds for children and adults who have leukemia) they train people to run marathons and triathlons.

My first marathon was going to be in Anchorage, Alaska but 3 weeks before we were to fly up there to run I got in a car accident and sad to say, was unable to run the marathon. Although I did complete a 20 mile run before the week of the car accident, so when I say I know what it means to persevere through long runs (I know what that truly means.) Through our long runs I really experienced what physical perseverance was. You keep pushing yourself to keep running to reach your goal. This only makes you grow and strive for so much more, you learn so much about yourself and life in general along the way. When you push through the hurt and pain and keep striving and persevering you become a better you and you reach more of you potential then you could have ever imagined.

My amazing husband running the Long Beach, CA marathon....I'm so proud of him!!!
(you can ask him what it means to persevere physically

and he can tell you 26.2 miles is not a cake walk).

The same is true when we persevere through the hardships that life brings us. They are difficult to go through but the end result is oh so worth it. You become a better person and in marriage a better spouse and your marriage grows from your willingness to persevere. Keep holding onto the hope and truth that you are becoming a better person and better spouse that is going to reap the reward of your perseverance through the hard times.