31 Days: Marriage Devotionals
31 Days: Marriage Devotionals
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Day 3: Ceasing Our Harmful Thoughts: Time for Some Brain Surgery - 31 Days: Marriage Devotionals

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Getting Started

Getting Started

Day 1: The Destructive Power of Harmful Words

Day 1: The Destructive Power of Harmful Words

Day 2: The Constructive Power of Helpful Words

Day 2: The Constructive Power of Helpful Words

Day 3: Ceasing Our Harmful Thoughts: Time for Some Brain Surgery

Day 3: Ceasing Our Harmful Thoughts: Time for Some Brain Surgery

Day 4: Building a New Habit: The Power of Positive Thinking

Day 4: Building a New Habit: The Power of Positive Thinking

Day 5: The Unifying Power of Common Experiences

Day 5: The Unifying Power of Common Experiences

Day 6: Key to Preserving Your Marriage: Being Intentional About Your Focus

Day 6: Key to Preserving Your Marriage: Being Intentional About Your Focus

Day 7: Two Pathways to Riches: Have More or Want Less

Day 7: Two Pathways to Riches: Have More or Want Less

Day 8: Working Together in Harmony Produces Beautiful Music

Day 8: Working Together in Harmony Produces Beautiful Music

Day 9: This Honorable Estate

Day 9: This Honorable Estate

Day 10: Other Dimensions of Faithfulness: Part 1

Day 10: Other Dimensions of Faithfulness: Part 1

Day 11: Other Dimensions of Faithfulness: Part 2

Day 11: Other Dimensions of Faithfulness: Part 2

Day 12: Faithfulness: The Foundation of Trust in a Relationship

Day 12: Faithfulness: The Foundation of Trust in a Relationship

Day 13: Be Angry – Yet Do Not Sin

Day 13: Be Angry – Yet Do Not Sin

Day 14: Solve It Before the Sun Sets --- or at Least Before Bedtime

Day 14: Solve It Before the Sun Sets --- or at Least Before Bedtime

Day 15: The Wisdom We Need Is Peaceable

Day 15: The Wisdom We Need Is Peaceable

Day 16: The Wisdom We Need Is Gentle

Day 16: The Wisdom We Need Is Gentle

Day 17: The Wisdom We Need Is Willing to Yield

Day 17: The Wisdom We Need Is Willing to Yield

Day 18: The Wisdom We Need Is Full of Mercy

Day 18: The Wisdom We Need Is Full of Mercy

Day 19: The Wisdom We Need Is Without Hypocrisy

Day 19: The Wisdom We Need Is Without Hypocrisy

Day 20: What? Me Worry? Husbands Edition

Day 20: What? Me Worry? Husbands Edition

Day 21: What? Me Worry? Wives Edition

Day 21: What? Me Worry? Wives Edition

Day 22: Marriage Builder Tip: Be Patient with Each Other

Day 22: Marriage Builder Tip: Be Patient with Each Other

Day 23: Marriage Builder Tip: The Beauty of a Clean Slate

Day 23: Marriage Builder Tip: The Beauty of a Clean Slate

Day 24: Marriage Builder Tip: The Power of Perseverance

Day 24: Marriage Builder Tip: The Power of Perseverance

Day 25: Marriage Builder Tip: The Power of Prayerful Hope

Day 25: Marriage Builder Tip: The Power of Prayerful Hope

Day 26: The Destructive Power of a Restless Spirit

Day 26: The Destructive Power of a Restless Spirit

Day 27: The Contagious Power of Relentless Contentment

Day 27: The Contagious Power of Relentless Contentment

Day 28: A Quiet Life: Learning to Guard Your Privacy – and Your Partner’s Privacy

Day 28: A Quiet Life: Learning to Guard Your Privacy – and Your Partner’s Privacy

Day 29: Minding Your Own Business --- What One Young Wife Decides

Day 29: Minding Your Own Business --- What One Young Wife Decides

Day 30: Earn Your Own Living – What Does This Mean to You?

Day 30: Earn Your Own Living – What Does This Mean to You?

Day 31: Winning the Respect of Others --- Your Marriage Matters

Day 31: Winning the Respect of Others --- Your Marriage Matters

Discipleship Place
John ComstockJul 21, 2021 10:15 pm GMT

Scripture Focus: In conclusion, fill your minds with those things that are good, and that deserve praise; things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honorable. Philippians 4:8

 

Married young and now the mother of two, Rachel cycled in and out of depression as she changed dirty diapers, stayed up all night with her baby’s colic, and did her best to cope with her new full-time job: stay-at-home mom.

 

Her husband, who had always worked a lot anyway, seemed to prefer overtime to the prospect of coming home to a crying baby, a yelling toddler, and a depressed wife. So the more Rachel got depressed, the more Todd seemed to stay away from his house. The extra money was nice – overtime pay is helpful – but the marriage wilted.

 

Rachel, whose life actually was complicated and stressful, fell into one of the enemy’s oldest and best traps. She began spending hours in self-pity, feeling sorry for her situation. The more she thought about it, the more unfair her reality seemed to be.

As she let these thoughts flood her mind, she became critical and negative.

 

We spent some time with Rachel and the last thing we wanted to do was add to her burdens or give her a sense of guilt. God forbid! But we gently and prayerfully asked her to work hard at one thing: Saying a firm “No!” every time she felt invited to a pity party.

Instead of “going under” these negative thoughts, we urged her to rise above them.

 

Weeks later Rachel was a new woman. Her circumstances were much the same, yet her attitude had changed in radical ways. She had learned to weed out the negative and harmful thoughts that so often sprang up in her mind. This “mental gardening” resulted in a positive, encouraging wife and mother. In the days that followed, her husband began spending more time at home with his wife and children.

 

For your personal reflection:

  • Do I sometimes get caught up in thinking about how much I suffer in this marriage, or how unfair our relationship is?
  • Do I spend long minutes or even hours feeling sorry for myself, or wishing I was still single?
  • How do these thoughts affect my attitudes and my actions?
  • How do these thoughts affect those around me?

 

Prayer: Lord, sometimes I am not even aware that my thoughts are so negative! I need Your help if I’m going to avoid feeling sorry for myself. I need Your help if I’m going to keep the weeds of self-pity and criticism away from my mental garden. Please help me notice when I’m thinking about the wrong things, or focused too much on myself.



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H
hannahleighkratzer
a month ago
Concerning that is always seems in these lessons as the homemakers job to reconcile?
likeReply
S
sirhandyman2001
a year ago
Amen
likeReply
riker40
Ken
a year ago
Wow. Spot on for me sometimes. Thanks! Praise God for the conviction
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