Read:
“This Thanksgiving, I’m Thankful for Difficult People”
In Christianity Today, author Chris Pappalardo takes us back to the beginnings of the tradition of Thanksgiving. The Civil War was tearing our nation apart. Former colleagues were now enemies. On the battlefield, it was not unusual for brothers to be fighting brothers. Yet, in the midst of one of the darkest times in United States history, President Lincoln wrote, “It has seemed to me fit and proper that the gracious gifts of the Most High God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.” With this proclamation, Lincoln set apart the last Thursday of November as “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father.”
Pappalardo concludes, “Conflict and gratitude. Hardship and hope. Lincoln wasn’t confused. He was seeing thanksgiving through a biblical lens.”
Listen:
Build Your Family on the Gospel with Special Guests Deepak & Sara Reju | Ep. 491
Deepak and Sarah Reju, my special guests on the podcast this week, reside in Washington, DC, with their five children. Deepak serves as a pastor of biblical counseling and families and is the author of several books and articles; most recently Build on Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide to Gospel-Based Children’s Ministry. Sarah homeschools their five children, and is the author of several children’s books, including her newest, Jesus Saves. Every family seems to struggle to know the best way to have a Gospel-centered family. Although most of us do not feel equipped to make that happen, we can. It just takes time and intentionality. In this podcast Sarah and Deepak give practical, heartfelt ideas to help us do just that.
Watch:
“Connection”
With all the distractions in our lives, how can we connect with our spouse every day? This week on the Awesome Marriage YouTube Channel, I will look at this topic to help you grow your marriage. If you two were once connected but have lost the connection, this video is for you!
Streaming:
This week is the third in a four-part series where I am sharing the four pastors I listen to each week. The first two were my Pastor, Craig Groeschel, and Matt Chandler. This week it is Levi Lusko pastor of Fresh Life Church.
I first heard Levi preach as a guest speaker at Life Church, and I was an instant fan. I loved his transparency and honesty and the way he masterfully uses the English language and stories that make an impact. Levi and his wife, Jennie, live in Montana with their four children. Their daughter Lenya lives in Heaven. Levi and Jennie have both joined me on the Awesome Marriage podcast.
Insights:
Do You Have Difficult People in Your Life?
Are people more difficult to deal with today than pre-pandemic? These are some of the comments I am hearing from people: “She always seemed so nice but now she is so hard to understand.” “He was the most consistent person I knew but now he is all over the place and it is very difficult to have a relationship with him.” “I used to think the people in our small group were all on the same page with most things in life. When I read their social media posts today, I want to quit the group.”
Do you have a difficult person - or difficult people - in your life? Do you ever think that your spouse is a difficult person? It is one thing to think that “those people” are difficult, but it takes it to a whole new level when we put that label on our spouse.
If I am being honest, I can be a difficult person in my marriage. I can be short. I can be distant and unfocused. I want to be alone when Nancy wants me to be with her. I can also think that she is difficult. She can shut me out. She can give me her opinion when I have not asked for it. She, too, can be distant.
If I were to ask your spouse if you are ever a difficult person, what would they say? What examples would they use to back this up? How would you answer that question if your spouse asked?
When we really get honest, I think at times all of us can be difficult. If this premise is true, what do we do about it? In our marriages, I think that there is only one answer. We must choose not to take it personally and refuse to be offended.
Proverbs 19:11 in the Message says, “Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget.” Look at the wisdom in those 15 words. If I am being difficult and Nancy says nothing, but instead she thinks to herself, “he must have a lot on his mind,” or, “I bet he has had a rough day,” then she can put it in perspective and not react in a negative way. The same would be true for me if she were being difficult.
The solution is two-fold. First, hold your tongue. That way you say nothing that you may later regret. Second, do not take it personally. Refuse to be offended, forgive, and move on. It sounds simple but I know it can be difficult. Yet, when you choose that path, you win, your marriage wins, and it gives your spouse time to work through whatever is bothering them. It’s another thing you do that will give you an Awesome Marriage.
A Next Step:
How are you sometimes a difficult person in your marriage? What do you need to do to make the needed changes?
When do you see your spouse as a difficult person? Try applying the two-fold solution at those times.
Thanksgiving True / False Answers:
Wild turkeys can fly, but those domestically grown for eating cannot because they are too heavy.
Only male turkeys gobble. They do so to attract female turkeys.
It was Gimble’s.
True
They can see 270 degrees.
True
True.
True.
True.
True.
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