Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Words She Needs to Hear {to the men}

A few weeks ago I did a post called Words He Needs to Hear, about showing our husband our respect through our words of affirmation.  Since then I’ve been thinking how important it is for us, as wives to hear those same words of affirmation from our husbands.  While normally my blog posts are directed towards wives, today this is for husbands.  So wives, call your husband in the room and let him have a little look at

today’s blog.

If I asked for a show of hands of “How many of the wives have had too much affirmation over the past month?” what would I see? Would nearly every wife raise her hand? Would your wife raise her hand? Or would laughter break out across the room.

As women, we often have the feeling that life is ridiculously fast. We have to wear a million different hats as life comes at us with the speed of a thousand gazelles and the chaos of a concert at the state fair. Add to this the voices everywhere around us saying we aren’t enough. We get wrapped up in the lies the world loves to throw at us. They love to target women. Wives often go through their day to day life having a feeling that they just don’t measure up.

How can you help?  I have a sneaking suspicion that your words of affirmation…words of beauty, truth and love…could help drown out those voices.  Every wife wants to hear those words but more importantly, they

need to hear them.

Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. 
Ephesians 5:33

Help her defeat the lies of the world today guys…

♥ You’re beautiful. I love you just the way you are.

♥ God wanted me to be happy…that’s why He made you my wife.

♥ Thank you for loving me.

♥ I’m glad you’re my best friend.

♥ So the kids are in bed…wink wink

♥ Our kids sure are blessed to have a Mama like you.

♥ I’m a rich man because you are my wife.

♥ You’ll always have my heart.

♥ I’m sorry

♥ I love the home that you’ve created.

♥ I’m a better man because of you.

♥ You’re worth it.

♥ Thank you for being my helper!

♥ You are a beautiful person, inside and out.

♥ I am such a blessed man thanks to you!

♥ I love spending time with you.

♥ Yeow, you look fabulous in that outfit!

♥ Your heart is safe with me.

♥ You are a woman of integrity.

♥ I want to grow old with you.

Does The World Hate Girls?

My 14 year old daughter was told something yesterday that broke my heart {and made her 16 year old brother mad}…the only women that wait until marriage to have sex are either molested or are perfect little Christian girls.

I shouldn’t be surprised, but, I was.  I knew purity wasn’t something being taught but I didn’t sure didn’t imagine there was a belief that to be a virgin you must have been molested.  My heart was so saddened.

When did the world start hating our daughters?  How do we raise girls in a world that obviously devalues them?  How do we encourage purity when the rest of the world hates it?

The world does it’s very best every single day to degrade the marriage bed. Purity isn’t something that is admired in the world, it’s mocked to no end. In fact, I saw a quote online that said “virginity is not dignity, it’s lack of opportunity”. You can even buy a t-shirt with that quote on it.  I was reading an article on purity and, as you can imagine, people were tearing it apart. There were comments such as “Purity isn’t a reality in this day and age,” “Sex outside marriage is not wrong,” and “Abstinence doesn’t work”.

We live in an anything-goes society. Although 80 percent of the country identifies themselves as Christians, sex outside marriage has become a common occurrence and is thought of as an event of little consequence. With statements of “Well what can you do” ringing through the air.

And the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. 
Mark 10:8-9 

Sex is good. Hello, God created it…He called it “good,” and it existed before there was any sin in the world. Sex was not created by Satan, Playboy, the Internet or some creepy pervert lurking in the shadows of a porn shop. However, God wants us to keep sex within his intentions and requirements, not the world’s. God designed sex for the sacred union of marriage between a man and a woman, and reserves it for that union.



Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Hebrews 13:4
Purity is beautiful. Valuable. Precious. An amazing gift given to us by God to give to our spouse. There is a much better way, Gods way. His plan is certainly better than any we could make! God loves you and thinks you are so precious! He absolutely treasures you. He wants you to save your body and your heart for the one person you will spend your life with. The one person you will enter into that amazing covenant of marriage with. Think of what an amazing gift you would be able to give your future spouse on your wedding day. Not only would you be giving them your whole heart but you could also give them your whole body as well. What an awesome gift that would be!
Oh sweet Mama’s, don’t give up on your girls.  Don’t be embarrassed to talk to them about it.  I guarantee if you aren’t talking to them about it, someone is.  If you don’t tell them your views the world will be quick to them it’s view.  Tell them that purity is cool (although the world would never tell you that). Just look around, we are constantly bombarded by sex. When you fall in love, it’s natural to want to express your love in physical ways. But you also know God wants you to remain sexually pure—in both your actions and your thoughts. Sometimes it’s a tough balance, but showing love for another and remaining pure is possible. Respect yourself, respect your partner but most importantly respect God. And remember, you’re a lady! Make him treat you as one!

Girls…you are beautiful and perfect the way God made you, you are His masterpiece. You do NOT need to conform to what the media is trying to pressure you into. Don’t listen to the lies of the world. You are beautiful and precious just the way you are. Purity is where true freedom is found…the freedom of knowing that your Heavenly Father has your life all figured out and you are happy to just take the ride.


Our daughters are precious, intrinsically valuable and deserve better — they deserve to be cherished and protected. -Amy Gerwing


A Raging Battle

I love my morning quiet time with God. Just this girl and her Father hanging out, enjoying some coffee and some much needed time in His word. It just really starts my day in a great way and points it in the right direction.

This week started an online Bible study that I’m participating in.  It’s on the Made to Crave (M2C) book by Lysa TerKeurst through the Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study.  Yesterday I was doing my morning devotional and all of a sudden God gave me one of those “aha” moments.  I sure am familiar with those, seems He has to talk to this stubborn, thick-headed girl quite often. You know the ones, they leave you sitting there with your mouth gaping open. Those moments that the light bulb clicks in our brain and illuminates what God is doing? Yeah, I kinda love those moments’ huge amounts.

I rely on food more than I rely on God.


What? Are you as shocked as i was? I had to take time to process it and talk through it, out loud of course. Let me say it again, I’ve basically made food an idol. Wow, isn’t that ouchie. Surely that can’t be right. How in the world do you make FOOD more important than God?

Then I remembered something, a past blog post. One where i described food as my boyfriend. Here is a little snippet of it:

Seriously, we’ve always had an intense love affair. It’s always there for you, never lets you down and always makes you feel good. Let’s face it…foods always there to fill you with delicious goodness. If I was sad, food would cheer me up…if I was happy, food would celebrate with me…if I was lonely, food would keep me company.

Now, read that last paragraph and replace the word food with God. And that, my friends, is when it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was true. Food was my golden calf and I worshiped at its feet. Instantly my heart was just sad. Can you imagine how much it grieved God when I would run to food to celebrate instead of Him? Or when I would run to food to soothe my sadness instead of Him? I’ve been breaking God’s heart for years and didn’t even know it.

My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
Psalm 84:2

Now that I’ve recognized the idolatry in my heart, I need to admit it, repent and ask God for His help.  I am so super thankful we have a God of grace!  Because this slow learner had to sit at His feet and admit she put food higher than Him.  Whew.  I need to choose to be content in Christ alone and not search for happiness or comfort in food. Thankfully this realization came during an amazing Bible study that will be there with me for weeks!  I am going to obey God and trust Him to lead this journey, to lead my actions and thoughts. I’m going to run to Him when I’m happy, sad, stressed, bored and every other emotion you can think of.

Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts
1 John 5:21