What are YOU missing in your relationships?

She says...

I have about a 20 minute drive to my job every day. I always go the same way. During the warmer months when the trees were still so pretty I would just be in awe of what I got to look at each and every day on the way to work and all the way home. But without fail, at least a couple of times every week, I will see something on my way in and wonder to myself "Have I seen that before? Maybe I have missed my turn?" Inevitably every time I have indeed NOT missed my turn I just really haven't ever noticed whatever it was before that day. I have been working there over four months and I just can't believe the things I have never even paid attention to.

I have spent this week pondering all these things. Yesterday on my way home, I was thinking about all of this and I noticed all the signs that I never noticed were there too. I really felt lead on the way there and on the way home to not have any music or preaching on and just be still and listen for anything the Lord might speak to me. I didn't really feel anything on the way in but on the way home when I noticed all these signs such as a curve up ahead, or an intersection coming up, or the name of a street, etc and I felt God ask me a question. "How many things have you missed all these years in your relationship with your kid's, your spouse, your siblings, with ME?"

Whoa! I kept repeating the question to myself in utter disbelief. I tried to defend myself in my mind and it didn't do any good. I realized I have missed SO, SO much. When I thought about my own marriage I wondered how many signs were there all along the way and I never even stopped to notice. Isn't that how it is? We get so caught up in our own little worlds in our own little routines and we just let life pass us right by. Before you know it, your marriage is in shambles and your children are grown and there you are.

First, if I get enough feedback, I will do a post strictly on warning signs that you should look for in your spouse. If not, I'll just save it for another day. Second, what are you missing? Do you find yourself irritated with your spouse and constantly rehashing things in your mind about everything they are doing or have ever done wrong? Are you always on the prowl when it comes to your children, always talking negative and never lifting them up and encouraging them? I say this from my own experience. There are SO many days I go over and over and over in my head like a bad stinkin' dream what my husband has done to me. All the while I miss all the hard work and effort he is currently putting into our marriage. I'll get so darn caught up in my OWN hurts that I forget how so very grateful I am that we are still together and we did not let the enemy win. I forget that we are NOT just another statistic of divorce. I forget that my daughters saw me tough it out through two of the worst years of their entire existence. They saw us get weary but never quit.

I look back at all the many times my children have been talking to me and I have not really been listening. And not because I was doing anything important at all. But because I was on my phone or watching something on television or on the computer. Now those days, those moments I will NEVER, EVER get back. I think this is where the enemy loves to trip us up. Right here.

But this is where we have to say..."THANK YOU FATHER!!" Thank you for showing me how I can be a better wife, a better mom, a better sister and a better friend. We have to stop right here and start thinking of everything we can possibly think of that we have to be grateful for. And then this is the prime opportunity to start asking God to show you ways you can pay attention. We must pay attention to the awesome things that are right in front of us before they are completely gone.

I hope this post will inspire you to pay attention. I hope you will look around at your life and find some of the wonderful things that are in it and were there all along only you have just missed them. Until now, that is. I pray anyone that is reading this post will find all that they have been missing and more!! That God will bless you abundantly for taking steps to just be better. I pray you will be comforted and encouraged as you pay better attention to everything God starts showing you.