29 July 2018
Two-Minute Features | 05 August 2018 | 22 July 2018

Marriage Problem #3: Overly Busy Schedules, Part 3 (TMF:945)

Friday, August 03, 2018
Peace to Live By: Marriage Problem #3: Overly Busy Schedules, Part 3 (TMF:945) - Daniel Litton
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       It is important for each person in a marriage to do the work that the Lord as assigned to each individual. For some folks, that includes going to church on Sunday mornings and participating in a Bible study during the week. And some spend more time with further church activities, and some are even elders or deacons. But one needs to realize that whatever your particular case, it is important that you have a balanced schedule. You should not have something scheduled every night after work, and you need to spend time with your marriage partner. Even if your both involved in this or that ministry, really that time isn’t all that you need together. You need one-on-one time, alone, just the two of you, so that things can be balanced. Don’t worry about what other people are doing, or the expectations they setup or model that you feel you have to follow. The important thing is to keep our lives full of peace, and we can’t do that if we’re doing too much.

Marriage Problem #3: Overly Busy Schedules, Part 2 (TMF:944)

Thursday, August 02, 2018
Peace to Live By: Marriage Problem #3: Overly Busy Schedules, Part 2 (TMF:944) - Daniel Litton
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       Truly, each person in a marriage can decide how to spend their time. It is your responsibility. If the job is asking for too much, then maybe it’s time for a new job. If the children are involved in too much at school, then it’s time for you to step in and correct that. Remember, you should not follow the world’s model for how many activities you participate in—for the parents, outside of work, and for the children, outside of school. It may be true that most other families do many activities, and they are running from one place to the next constantly. But your family doesn’t have to be like that. Don’t allow the pressures of seeing what other families do, or of what other children do at school, be the guide for your family. You must take control of your own lives and live in a way that provides a peaceful lifestyle. Hurriedness is overrated, and definitely takes away peace in people’s lives. Fathers should have the ultimate say in what their children participate in, and not children telling the fathers what they are going to do at school. I understand that most families don’t operate this way, but I also understand that most are way too busy.

Marriage Problem #3: Overly Busy Schedules, Part 1 (TMF:943)

Wednesday, August 01, 2018
Peace to Live By: Marriage Problem #3: Overly Busy Schedules, Part 1 (TMF:943) - Daniel Litton
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       Now, number three in our look at marriage problems: Having overly busy schedules. “We urge you, brothers… to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you” (1 Thessalonians 4:10, 11, ESV). One thing that can really mess up a marriage, and family life for that matter, is an overly busy schedule. Now, this may be present in one of the individuals, or both individuals in the marriage. Sometimes the problem is with the career or workplace of the individual, and at times it is a problem of the children having too many extracurricular actives that take up too much time. Whatever the case, we learn from the verse I just read that God wants us to live quiet lives, and we cannot live quiet lives if we are constantly running around from one event to the next one. Truly, each person in a marriage can decide how to spend their time. It is your responsibility. If the job is asking for too much, then maybe it’s time for a new job. If the children are involved in too much at school, then it’s time for you to step in and correct that.

Marriage Problem #2: Wife Leading Husband? Part 4 (TMF:942)

Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Peace to Live By: Marriage Problem #2: Wife Leading Husband? Part 4 (TMF:942) - Daniel Litton
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       I’m not saying a man has to become an extrovert to be confident. There are many introverts, myself included, who can display confidence. The wife is not to lead her husband, but rather let the husband lead her. This doesn’t mean the wife does not provide wisdom for her husband, or even teach him things by what she says to him. However, when the woman tries to overly teach her man, or even provide correction to him, which is not from God, this causes friction to develop in the relationship. The marriage relationship is not supposed to be an argumentative one, but this is one way that arguments can develop. Remember, love needs to be central to whatever advice or correction is given. For a wife to submit to her husband means that she yields to him when he wants her to. This doesn’t mean the wife doesn’t have say in things, it just means the husband is the ultimate decider in the varying situations of life that come along.

Marriage Problem #2: Wife Leading Husband? Part 3 (TMF:941)

Monday, July 30, 2018
Peace to Live By: Marriage Problem #2: Wife Leading Husband? Part 3 (TMF:941) - Daniel Litton
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       Nevertheless, sometimes the woman leads because the man is unconfident and won’t lead her. Whatever the reason for the woman trying to lead her husband, this is not the way God has designed the marriage relationship to be. Now, a man might be like this because he grew up with an overbearing father, who caused him to be discouraged, or without a father at all. A man who is unconfident or unmotivated in life can learn to become more confident and further motivated. Again, it is important for the man to learn what is at the root of his problems, and there are many Christian self-help books that will help a person to do this. Sometimes, in more severe cases, the man may need counseling to try to discover the underlying issues behind his unconfident attitude so that he can then learn to better himself by becoming more confident. I should also state that not every man has the same type of drive in life, obviously, as some are more driven than others. There are both introverts and extroverts as well. I’m not saying a man has to become an extrovert to be confident. There are many introverts, myself included, who can display confidence.