How Well Do You Balance?
by Dr. Gary Chapman  

How do you balance marriage, family and vocation?

Most of us would  rank marriage, family, and vocation among the top of our priorities.  But how to balance them in terms of time and energy is sometimes illusive.   

Let me share a idea.  Call a family meeting and with a calendar on the table, list the important events in the life of each family member this month.  This will include, piano recitals, school events, doctor appointments, important vocational meetings.  Make copies of the monthly calendar for each member of the family.  

Now, challenge each person to pray for family members on the day of their special events.  With your spouse, decide what events require your attendance.  Seek diligently to work your vocational schedule so that you can attend these events.  Most employers are willing to allow flexibility when they see your commitment to your family.  Conversely, when you have a really important vocational event, your family is prayerfully supporting you.   

Balance is the key and you can do it.

Article written by Dr. Gary Chapman.  Based on the book, Now You're Speaking My Language by Gary Chapman. Published by Broadman and Holman. For a complete listing of Dr. Chapman's books and resources, click here.     

Restoring Intimacy - God First
by Dr. Gary Chapman 

We thought that we would be intimate forever, but now we find ourselves feeling alone, shut out, and isolated.  How do we regain the intimacy of the early days of marriage?  It requires the hard work of dealing with our failures.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they were cut off not only from each other, but from God.  It was restoring the relationship with God that brought the two of them back together.   

Many estranged couples have found that when they returned to God, they were able to return to each other.

A man said to me recently, "When my marriage fell apart, I had no place to go but to God.  When I went to God, He changed my heart, and then my wife was willing to give me another chance."  It is a "changed heart" that makes a second chance viable.  Without a changed heart, we will repeat the same selfish acts of the past.   

Selfishness destroys intimacy and drives couples apart.  It is love that brings people together, and true love comes only from God.

The place to start is not in seeking a second chance with your mate, but in seeking the forgiveness and love of God.   When your heart is changed the stage is set for restoring marital intimacy.

Article taken directly from the book,  Now You're Speaking My Language by Gary Chapman. Published by Broadman and Holman.   

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.