SISTER WISDOM : build a better life

Sometimes you just got to let it go.

Short End of the Shtick

I had a good cry last night and felt immensely better. It's difficult for me to just cry, let out the excess emotion, and then pick up and go on with good heart: I want to analyze and find a problem that caused the need for the crying. Read the rest of this entry »

Protect yourself and your husband from the subtle ways of infidelity.

This article was written by my sister, Mileah Hodge. She has walked through fires and come out shining like gold, with humbleness and wisdom to build a strong marriage.

Yellow light means CAUTION

Caution lights usually mean SLOW down and assess the situation as you approach. God has given us built-in caution sensors. We know when something is wrong. We can be blowing through life at 70 miles per hour but when we sense the caution light, we slow down. It is our God-given nature and duty to protect our home. Read the rest of this entry »

Make time for him.

Find out what romantic means for your husband.

Let him know what romantic means for you.

Be appreciative.

Love seems the swiftest but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century.

~Mark Twain Read the rest of this entry »

If we are ever to enjoy life, now is the time, not tomorrow or next year.... Today should always be our most wonderful day.

-Thomas Dreier

The Witching Hour

Every day, just before the time my husband is going to get home from work, something strange happens in my home. The kids have just had a long nap and a snack, but they get inexplicably whiny. The house looks dirty all of a sudden. The pile of laundry on the bed increases fourfold. The plans I had for dinner seem inadequate, and my feet hurt, my back hurts, my head hurts, and what-I-wouldn't-give for a little peace and quiet...

Welcome home, honey.

I'm embarrassed at the times Joe's walked in the door to that atmosphere. It seems like on those days, when I've "just had it" and all I need is a little relief, he's just had it at work too.

I'm drained; he's drained. All I want is to sit down; all he needs is a little rest. My day was constantly busy, but seems unproductive now; his, too. The kids are clamoring for our attention, and when Joe and I meet eyes it's with a mutual question of "How soon can bedtime come?"

Whose Fault Is It, Anyway?

I blame it on the undone items, usually. If I hadn't had so much to do, if I'd gotten a bit more done, if the Read the rest of this entry »

A stifled personality does not a happy marriage make.

Walking the Tight Rope

When you start writing about marriage from a Biblically based perspective, you can't avoid using words like “reverence” and even “submission.” Horrors. And though you try to give advice that stays true to Biblical principles while still making sense in our culture, it's difficult. There will be some who say you're too conservative, a fanatic, a freak, out of touch. Others will say you're shallow, affected by the culture, misinterpreting what the Bible says.

Everybody's Right, Everybody's Wrong

There is danger in any sort of marriage advice, even when it is based on something good. The danger is that we often take principles and turn them into methods. Then we cling to our methods, even when they cease to be helpful. Read the rest of this entry »

Interest breeds interest.

Identity Crisis

Sometimes we let ourselves be needed too much, at the cost of who we are. Do you ever feel like your husband is just somebody else to take care of? That's a sign. Sure, he needs you. Sure, you're called to be a help meet. But being a help meet does not mean losing your own identity.

Marriage, Motherhood, Life

The days before marriage often instigate the problem. You're in love, you're anticipating this great wedding and a new life together, and suddenly everything else becomes secondary. That's important and appropriate for the time, but then we get so caught up in loving and following 'the man' that we forget to keep the woman alive.

Motherhood plays a big role in this problem. A new baby is the most demanding creature in the known world. In the midst of 24/7 care of a yammering infant, it's tough – to put it mildly – to hold onto your own interest. For a while there, you just have to default to survival mode.

Life itself encourages identity loss. Circumstances, situations: you move, you graduate, you lose your Read the rest of this entry »

Behind Door #1...

Victims put the blame elsewhere. Victims are passive. Victims wear chains. Victims are limited. Victims are unable to change. Victims put the power of change away from themselves. Victims are the powerless slaves of others, of moods, of circumstances. Victims submit.

And Behind Door #2...

Responsible people take the blame for their own failures. They assume the power of change. They are active. They are free. They can change. They make things happen. They set their own limits. They choose their own destiny. They take charge of their own thoughts, emotions, relationships, and situations. They decide.

Which one are you? Read the rest of this entry »

A foolish woman is clamorous. She is simple and knows nothing.

(Proverbs 9:13)

O Ye Clamoring Women

Clamorous: "to make a loud sound like Engl. hum); by implication, to be in great commotion or tumult, to rage, war, moan, clamor" from Scripture Text.

What does clamorous look like? In a clamorous wife, this is what you'll see:

• A woman who continually questions direct authority (her husband), often by appealing to a different (or what she considers "higher") authority)
• A woman who refuses to let her husband make decisions (big or small) with giving her input
• A woman who gets offended if her husband dares to make a decision without getting her input first
• A woman who is not content to be quiet and just see what happens
• A woman who is not willing to let a mistake go unmentioned
• A woman who nags
• A woman who nitpicks about details
• A woman who makes everything a big deal

Let's Zoom In

Here's a more specific version of what a clamorous wife might look like: Read the rest of this entry »

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

-Philip Dormer Stanhope

#1: Take Ten

Find ten minutes today to read the Bible and pray: for your husband, your marriage, your own heart.

My Pastor suggests a chapter in Psalms and a chapter in Proverbs each day. Start with the one that corresponds to today's date and go from there.

Or choose only a verse or two to read and meditate upon. Let the Word of God sink into your heart.

Praying is simply a conversation with God. You talk and you listen. Be honest. Out loud or silent, it doesn't matter. God can hear your heart. Read the rest of this entry »