"Talk to yourself - really!"

Have you ever called your phone and left a message for yourself?  (please say yes!  I'll feel better.)

I can't even remember why I did it, but one day I called my land line from my cell phone and gave myself a cheery "Hey you" message. 

Frankly, I don't remember why I did it or what all I said to myself.

But later, when I checked my messages, I was perplexed at the strange voice on the phone.  It seemed familiar, but whoever called didn't leave their name or number.  (the nerve....how is one to return calls when you don't know who to call?). 

Then the light went on.  It was my own voice.  Silly me.  I had a good laugh.   (You might be of the artistic temperament if you find encouragement from your own phone messages.)

But it might not be that strange when you think about it.  The psalmist David talked to himself sometimes for encouragement.

Psalm 103:1-3  (A Psalm of David)

"Praise the Lord, I tell myself;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 
Praise the Lord, I tell myself,
and never forget the good things he does for me. 
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases."  (NLT)

Perhaps if David lived today, he would use his cell phone to call his land line and leave himself a message.  Why not put technology to use in an encouraging way I say!

You see, there is something about being vocal about encouragement.  It's one thing to think to yourself that you should be encouraged but it takes it to a whole new level when you say it out loud, like David must have done.

We all know speaking an encouraging word to someone is much more effective thanthinking it.  I don't think it's much different when it comes to encouraging ourselves in the Lord either.

Try it.

Talk to yourself, out loud; encourage yourself to praise the Lord and remember that He is good!

Or leave yourself an encouraging message on your answering machine.  (You might want to make sure no one else is in the room when you check your messages though.) 

Nothing like hearing your own voice tell your own soul to be encouraged.  

P.S.  If you try this - let me know how it works for you!

Have a beautiful day.  You are loved by the Father of all creation!

The Marriage Bouquet

A few weeks ago Tom (my husband) was taking a shower and I was in the kitchen doing dishes.  A typical scenario.

All of a sudden from out of the bathroom came this odd question.  "Is there a reason there are clothes in the toilet?"

How would you answer this question from your spouse?

A)  Yes, there is a reason, leave them alone please.
B)  I don't know, but I'm sure whoever put them there had a reason.
C)  No, there is NOT a reason.
D)  What do you mean there are clothes in the toilet?

I went for multiple choice answer D since I knew nothing about any clothes in the toilet.

Now I've been known to put mousse on my face instead of in my hair and get mighty close to putting something other than coffee grounds in the coffee pot, but I've yet to put clothes in the toilet.

I could have blamed it on the children, but we don't have any.  Just 2 cats.  I'd be impressed if they did it.

Now if you were me, wouldn't you assume that Tom did it since they were HIS clothes in the toilet?  (Turns out, he did put them in there thinking it was the hamper.  Did I mention we're still in our 40's).

Well, on September 2, we celebrated 21 years and we find more and more reasons to laugh at AND with each other.  We are about as opposite as you can get when it comes to our personalities.

It reminds me of my flowers growing around my yard.  Some are very small and dainty, others are big and bold.  But you put them together and they show each other off.

Same way in relationships.  It's our differences that make our uniqueness stand out.  It can also be a point of contention if we're not careful.  (Like the clothes in the toilet - I thought his question was worded a bit accusingly - as if he assumed I put them in there.  He claims he has no memory of putting any clothes in the toilet.

So take a look at the bouquet I gathered from my yard.  Yes, my husband is the bold orange, and# 1 I'm more like the delicate purple with all kinds of smaller intricacies, but together, we make up a beautiful marriage bouquet.

Just need to keep it well watered!