We have done quite a bit of traveling lately, both for pleasure and work.\u00a0 Many times, along the interstate, we\u2019ll notice things that seem out of the ordinary, at least to one of us.\u00a0 Sometimes the conversations will be, \u201cDid you see that?\u201d\u00a0 With the reply of, \u201cNo, what was it?\u201d\u00a0 Describing what we\u2019ve seen can go on for miles, and it can lead us down rabbit trails to other subjects.\u00a0 We wanted to share some of the things we\u2019ve seen that left us scratching our heads and that led to some deep conversations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Recently, while traveling north on Interstate 65, we both actually noticed a dump truck in the lane next to us.\u00a0 Across the back of the dump truck was written, \u201cAmish Mafia.\u201d\u00a0 We both looked at each other and questioned, \u201cDo you know what that means?\u201d\u00a0 Neither of us had a clue.\u00a0 Today, I decided to Google and see what this phrase means. \u00a0To my surprise, I found out it was a very strange \u201creality\u201d show. We don\u2019t have a television or cable, so television shows that came out after about 1995 aren\u2019t very familiar to us.\u00a0 We may have heard someone mention a TV show or caught a glimpse of one while visiting a relative who had a TV playing, but for the most part, we are clueless about shows less than 25 years old.\u00a0 I have to say that after reading the show\u2019s description on Wikipedia, I\u2019m fairly certain we haven\u2019t missed anything important.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
During the same recent trip, we stopped to eat, and while waiting at a stop light to get back on the road, I noticed a flyer attached to a pole.\u00a0 The beginning of a new conversation, \u201cDid you see that?\u201d\u00a0 With a reply of, \u201cNo, what was it?\u201d\u00a0 The flyer was an advertisement for \u201cKitty Condos.\u201d\u00a0 Neither of us had a clue what a Kitty Condo could be.\u00a0 The flyer had a website listed, so I jotted that down to check out later.\u00a0 The website had pictures with several designs for purchase.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t exactly sure how to describe them, but when I Googled, I found they are also called \u201cCat Trees.\u201d\u00a0 They are pieces of wood, nailed together, and covered in carpet that a cat can climb and rest on what are termed as \u201ccouches.\u201d\u00a0 We felt so informed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One particular billboard stood out to me during this trip.\u00a0 The conversation about it started the same as usual, \u201cDid you see that?\u201d\u00a0 With a reply of, \u201cNo, what was it?\u201d\u00a0 It was a billboard encouraging \u201cEmergency Preparedness,\u201d whether it be for flood, tornado, earthquake, etc\u2026\u00a0 The slogan on the billboard is what caught my eye, \u201cDon\u2019t Wait. Communicate.\u201d\u00a0 Being involved in marriage ministry, that phrase brought about lots of thoughts and a conversation about how that could apply to the marriage, husband\/wife relationship.\u00a0 Here are some applications:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
These suggestions aren\u2019t exhaustive.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll think of more instances in which you need to improve your communication with your spouse.\u00a0 Be proactive. \u00a0Don\u2019t wait. Communicate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We have done quite a bit of traveling lately, both for pleasure and work.\u00a0 Many times, along the interstate, we\u2019ll notice things that seem out of the ordinary, at least to one of us.\u00a0 Sometimes the conversations will be, \u201cDid you see that?\u201d\u00a0 With the reply of, \u201cNo, what was it?\u201d\u00a0 Describing what we\u2019ve seen can go on for miles, and it can lead us down rabbit trails to other subjects.\u00a0 We wanted to share some of the things we\u2019ve seen that left us scratching our heads and that led to some deep conversations. Recently, while traveling north on Interstate 65, we both actually noticed a dump truck in the lane next to us.\u00a0 Across the back of the dump truck was written, \u201cAmish Mafia.\u201d\u00a0 We both looked at each other and questioned, \u201cDo you know what that means?\u201d\u00a0 Neither of us had a clue.\u00a0 Today, I decided to Google and see what this phrase means. \u00a0To my surprise, I found out it was a very strange \u201creality\u201d show. We don\u2019t have a television or cable, so television shows that came out after about 1995 aren\u2019t very familiar to us.\u00a0 We may have heard someone mention a TV show or caught a glimpse of one while visiting a relative who had a TV playing, but for the most part, we are clueless about shows less than 25 years old.\u00a0 I have to say that after reading the show\u2019s description on Wikipedia, I\u2019m fairly certain we haven\u2019t missed anything important. During the same recent trip, we stopped to eat, and while waiting at a stop light to get back on the road, I noticed a flyer attached to a pole.\u00a0 The beginning of a new conversation, \u201cDid you see that?\u201d\u00a0 With a reply of, \u201cNo, what was it?\u201d\u00a0 The flyer was an advertisement for \u201cKitty Condos.\u201d\u00a0 Neither of us had a clue what a Kitty Condo could be.\u00a0 The flyer had a website listed, so I jotted that down to check out later.\u00a0 The website had pictures with several designs for purchase.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t exactly sure how to describe them, but when I Googled, I found they are also called \u201cCat Trees.\u201d\u00a0 They are pieces of wood, nailed together, and covered in carpet that a cat can climb and rest on what are termed as \u201ccouches.\u201d\u00a0 We felt so informed. One particular billboard stood out to me during this trip.\u00a0 The conversation about it started the same as usual, \u201cDid you see that?\u201d\u00a0 With a reply of, \u201cNo, what was it?\u201d\u00a0 It was a billboard encouraging \u201cEmergency Preparedness,\u201d whether it be for flood, tornado, earthquake, etc\u2026\u00a0 The slogan on the billboard is what caught my eye, \u201cDon\u2019t Wait. Communicate.\u201d\u00a0 Being involved in marriage ministry, that phrase brought about lots of thoughts and a conversation about how that could apply to the marriage, husband\/wife relationship.\u00a0 Here are some applications: Don\u2019t wait until you are feeling extreme frustration about a given situation before you communicate with your spouse about whatever it may be (finances, children, intimacy, habits, household chores, etc\u2026) Tell your spouse how you feel, don\u2019t let things stew and boil over. If your spouse has done or said something that you feel is hurtful or insensitive, don\u2019t wait, communicate with them how what they said or what they did made you feel. If you hold your feelings in, and let the wound fester, you are going to let bitterness and resentment begin to grow.\u00a0 Many times, we say and do things that aren\u2019t meant to be hurtful, and many times, we perceive things differently than what the intention was. If you feel inspired to do something, be it in the context of ministry, your employment, or in business \u2013 communicate with your spouse about it. Inspiration without expression leads to depression.\u00a0 Don\u2019t wait until you feel resentment and depression because you haven\u2019t communicated with your spouse about the inspiration you\u2019ve had and you haven\u2019t acted upon it.\u00a0 Talk about your inspirations, hopes, and dreams.\u00a0 Share them with each other.\u00a0 The more you talk about them, the more you may see that what you feel inspired about, they may feel the same way.\u00a0 God can use your inspirations and those of your spouse to complement each other, and something more wonderful than you\u2019ve ever thought can come through your joint efforts. On the flip-side, if you are feeling down, depressed, blue \u2013 don\u2019t wait, communicate to your spouse how you are feeling. Most likely, they are already sensing that something is wrong, but they may not know how to approach the situation.\u00a0 Suffering and trying to deal with issues in isolation often makes you feel worse.\u00a0 Sometimes just having someone to talk with about what you are feeling is enough to help you put things in perspective and to begin to feel better. \u00a0Spending time reading the Bible and praying together can do wonders for our moods. \u00a0As a side note, after talking things through, if you still feel the burden of depression, contact your medical doctor. Sometimes there is a medical reason for how you feel. If you have sinned against your spouse, don\u2019t wait until a wall of deception is built between you. Communicate and confess your sin to your spouse and to God.\u00a0 Your level of intimacy with each other, the effectiveness of your relationship in service to God, your level of joy and happiness \u2013 all depend on your openness and honesty with each other.\u00a0 Once you confess, repent \u2013 turn from the sin, forsake it.\u00a0 Work together to repair what has been broken. Read the Bible together, pray together, seek out Christian resources to help you in your journey back to oneness.\u00a0 Take the necessary steps to rebuild trust and intimacy.\u00a0 It\u2019s a process that doesn\u2019t happen in an instant, it takes time, effort, and perseverance, but it can be done, and the rewards are measureless. These suggestions aren\u2019t exhaustive.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll think of more instances in which you need to improve your communication with your spouse.\u00a0 Be proactive. \u00a0Don\u2019t wait. Communicate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-communication","category-marriage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":292,"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278\/revisions\/292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impartingwisdom.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}