Home Improvements

DIY

Have you ever watched the DIY home improvement shows? You start with an idea, get some tools, paint, etc., add in a youtube video, and immediately you have your own show! It’s an overnight success, OR so it seems. We all want immediate results! I am often saying, “I have million dollar taste on a shoe string budget.” I want to make everything we have look like the dream in my head, but with what we can afford. Even when you get all of the proper items to DIY, you still have to learn how to do it. This takes practice. People who do things really well didn’t start out being really good at it. It took time, effort, error, mistakes, and repetition. Just like marriages that last! Look at marriages that last 50+ years!

Repeat

If you want to master any skill you have to put in the time and not give up. It takes a teachable spirt, concentration, know how, time, and the will to keep trying after you fail. It’s not the American way to want to keep doing something that doesn’t come natural. IF children aren’t good at sports, music, something they wanted to do, some parents allow those children to just quit. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” is not something you hear many say any more. We have a whole generation of youth and adults who call it quits if it gets hard. Marriage is no different, so many divorce today based on the idea of not being happy, and the saying “it’s just too hard.” How many things have you given up on?

New

I love doing new things, and so does my husband! We both have had to work really hard on consistency, even when things get hard. Not moving from one thing to the next. We both work very hard, and are definitely led by the Spirit of God, but we could, if we aren’t careful not finish what we started. Somethings don’t work out, but we have it in our hearts to keep going and trying to be the best at whatever it is we do until the Lord says to move on. When we first got married, things weren’t easy, but we had determined with God’s help we would not give up, and we never mentioned the word divorce. We knew when we got married, whatever may come, we would be together forever! This is the mindset we need today!!

Update

So we have a home that needed so much work when we bought it that we really couldn’t even live in for about a month and a half. It was stressful and seemed like we would never be able to move in. Since then it’s been 3 years and we are pretty comfortable, although we still have a lot to do. There are things that still need fixed, finished, and updated. It takes time, effort, mistakes, and repeating to make it what we want it. If we would have given up, or said it will never be what we want it to be, we may be living somewhere different and missed all that the Lord has used this house for. Some updates we have done ourselves and others we have hired someone to do. But what we expected and what we have are two different things.

Expectations

Our expectations of our home were what we dreamed of, and what we got we love, but the two are not the same. We didn’t settle, we learned to be content! Not to keep up with the Jones’s and to feel like our home should look like our friends. We decided to work through the hard parts and see our home for what it is, “A Blessing From the Lord!” There are still things we will get done with cash on hand, but we will take our time and learn to live with what we have and be happy! We love our home and we love our marriage! I don’t think you ever get what you imagined on your wedding day, if you even really knew what you wanted.

Fix It

So what do you do when you are still dreaming but don’t have exactly what you want? You take one project at a time and do some improvements! Home improvements!! So while you are at home and are learning a new way of life for the moment, find ways to make home improvements! Your home should be a place you and your spouse want to dwell, you want to live, laugh, and love! It’s inviting to your spouse, family, and all who enter. How do you do this? You start working on areas that need attention. Maybe the atmosphere in your home is tense, or cold, or maybe it just needs some rearranging. Maybe it needs some brightening up!

Attitude

Your attitude has a lot to do with the atmosphere of your home. Prayer, fasting, and the Word of God, all change the atmosphere of your home as you start to pray, die to self, and read and speak scripture! Turn on some praise and worship, a sermon, pray though your home as you anoint it with oil and get rid of anything that displeases God. How will you know? Ask! Seek! Knock!! God will open and answer you! He will teach you as you draw close to Him! And as you do this He will help you with an attitude of gratitude! Instead of complaining, cutting, and ruining the time you have together, you will start to see love and peace flourish in your home and marriage!!!

Prayer

Our prayer for you this week is that you start looking to do a little DIY projects, some home improvements, and updating to your home and marriage! If it doesn’t look right the first time, for heavens sakes don’t sell the house, work on it, try again, and get some understanding of how it’s supposed to look! Your marriage is too important to not try and fix it up! It may not look like what you imagined but it could be the best thing you ever had if you will trust God with the improvements! Be content in the wait! Know that God is in control and as you surrender to Him and His will you will see your marriage start to look like everything you ever dreamed of!!!

Scriptures

Monday: Proverbs 23:4 says, “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:” Practice makes perfect is a saying we heard growing up, and it is true in life and marriage, to build a home, we need wisdom and that takes time, mistakes, and learning from those mistakes.

Tuesday: 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” This can apply to your marriage as well! Continue, repeat, keep going, and do as unto the Lord, for it is God’s will that our marriages last!

Wednesday: Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” New isn’t always better! When you are married, tried and true is much better! Be committed to your marriage!

Thursday: Proverbs 14:1 says, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” This scripture determines how you live, no matter where you live. You can either tear it down or build it up depending on your attitude, actions, and words. Be wise and build your home and marriage!!

Friday: 1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” Learning to be content is a great attribute! When you see the blessing in being thankful with what you have, you are so much more blessed than if you had a mansion and never appreciated it!

Saturday: Isaiah 32:18 says, “And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;” Pray this scripture over your home and marriage!! Your home and marriage should be a peaceful, sure, and quiet place of rest!!

Sunday: Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” When the atmosphere of your home and attitude needs changed seek the Lord and His word and He will help you!

Contact

Please feel free to contact us at janene@happilyevermarried.org and post and share our newest blog post at happilyevermarried.org. Thank you for investing in your marriage and you too can have a happily ever married marriage!

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