Joy in Simplicity - #6

How are you doing with reducing being stuffified (which is now my new favorite word)? I am going to admit it is a little hard to decludder while your house is under construction - but I promise when we have a kitchen again - it is going to be un-stuffified!!!

One areas of our life that we often do not think about being cluttered is our emotions, but since working in the counseling field for the last two years I am realizing daily how much our emotions play a huge role in what we think, what we feel, and also the decisions we make.

Today I would like to look at the emotion of Love. So much of what I do is counseling for married couples or getting married couples. Our counselor said one of the most profound things to me when we were preparing to get married. She said - if you base your marriage on the feeling of love - you will fail..... I was shocked when I heard her say that - love is to be the foundation of your marriage, your friendships, your family....but then she went on to explain it. The feeling of Love is a roller coaster - sometimes you feel like you love that other person and other days you may not "feel" it - Love instead is a commitment to remain loyal, faithful, despite your feelings. Love is caring for the person even when you don't particularly like them!

So my challenge to you today - is basing your love not on a feeling but on a commitment - it is amazing how just changing your mindset, your understanding of the word, can change your marriage, your friendships, and your relationships.

You can take it even to another level and look at it in relationship to the church. People change churches almost as much as people change marriages these days. Joining a church is a commitment - you will not always like it, but it is committing to working through things to make the body of believers better, more honoring, more faithful to God. Please don't get me wrong I think there are extenuating circumstances, but in general I think we are too quick to leave most relationships when they get hard, but remember love is a commitment not just a feeling!