Words with Friends
Destin and I decided to up the ante on our weekly writing and I'm super excited to share this with you because it involves my oh-so-INfamous other half, the reason for #lifewithjessealvarado and the absolute rock solid foundation of our family. Also known as DJ Jazzy Jesse, performing the sermon slides every Sunday at Valiant Church. He is the cat's pajamas.
I wanted to involved our significant others in some way, but I did not want to preach something FOR Jesse, because Lord knows that he gets enough of that 24-7 in this household and maybe I talk a lot? All the talking? Because words and feelings?
So Destin and I each asked our significant others for one word to describe how they were feeling last week. And we would write on how the Bible addresses that feeling or emotion.
It STILL felt preach-y to me. I mean, I am no expert in speaking "dude" and when I picked out IV's shoes for back to school, I was convinced that selections between the latest Kevin Durants or the Jordans should be made by someone who knows what "oreos" and the acronym "KD" means.
That ain't me.
But what I DO know, and what I am continuing to craft, is how to help Jesse in my role as a wife. How to be supportive of what my husband needs and how he feels in a way that is productive and aligns with God's will. To back up what I say with Scripture and to provide my heart, kindness and understanding - not preaching.
So I asked Jesse for his word.
And his answer was fast and to the point: DETERMINED.
After diving a little deeper, he communicated to me that he is trying to prioritize and make the most of our work / life balance right now. This is a VERY busy season of our life: our son is playing multiple sports, Jesse is coaching one of them, he is working in H-Town which adds a commute and traffic stress, on top of being a husband, father, son, friend and - most importantly - man of God. He is DETERMINED to keep these ducks in a row and to continue to also make time for his own workouts and nutrition.
Needless to say, our days start VERY early. #thissideof4amcrew
Interestingly, the Scripture that I turned to was echoed in our Sunday message, straight outta Hebrews, in one of my most favorite passages of all time:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:1-3
How can I use this Scripture to support my husband in this time of serious DETERMINATION?
1. Throw off everything that hinders us - what can you do to make someone's life easier, to help them to get rid of the sin and hindrances that might hold them back? For me, this means making sure Jesse's lunches are packed according to his macros, that his uniforms are clean, that we get everyone to bed at a decent hour. Grab and go, baby. This only happens when there is a plan and ISH gets DONE. This helps us to enjoy time as a family together - because right now, that time is scarce and valuable. He can stay determined when our priorities aren't stressed and simple things happen seamlessly around the house. Scrambling ain't fun, ya'll.
2. Run with Perseverance - determination and perseverance go hand in hand. And it's hard to persevere when you don't have a good support system in place. Believe me, if I had a dollar for every time Jesse "started to diet" #butidigress. Perhaps - just PERHAPS - it was because he didn't have the entire bandwidth of our support system in place. In these instances, he refers to me as "the HATER." Look, I just like to make him happy by baking brownies and getting Little Cesar's Hot-N-Ready. SUE ME.
3. Fix Our Eyes on Jesus - this one is easy, yall: PRAY. I pray for Jesse constantly. I pray for his health, for his eyes and ears and heart to be open to Jesus, for his choice of language on his morning commute, for his patience, which I know is stretched thin by a super-awesome-creative-busy-wifey and the eight-year-old whose Indian name is "He-Who-Never-Ceases-Talking." I can't stress this enough to all my wifeys and girlfriends and daughters of Christ: PRAY. You can't fix it - but HE CAN. And more often than not, it's US that gets the fixing. Ahem.
Are you, or your significant other, in a season of DETERMINATION? If so, I hope this helps you. I think these are great things to communicate to someone to HELP you stay in your determined season as well.
Please check out Destin and Connie's word of the week and be blessed! XOXO!
I wanted to involved our significant others in some way, but I did not want to preach something FOR Jesse, because Lord knows that he gets enough of that 24-7 in this household and maybe I talk a lot? All the talking? Because words and feelings?
So Destin and I each asked our significant others for one word to describe how they were feeling last week. And we would write on how the Bible addresses that feeling or emotion.
It STILL felt preach-y to me. I mean, I am no expert in speaking "dude" and when I picked out IV's shoes for back to school, I was convinced that selections between the latest Kevin Durants or the Jordans should be made by someone who knows what "oreos" and the acronym "KD" means.
That ain't me.
But what I DO know, and what I am continuing to craft, is how to help Jesse in my role as a wife. How to be supportive of what my husband needs and how he feels in a way that is productive and aligns with God's will. To back up what I say with Scripture and to provide my heart, kindness and understanding - not preaching.
So I asked Jesse for his word.
And his answer was fast and to the point: DETERMINED.
After diving a little deeper, he communicated to me that he is trying to prioritize and make the most of our work / life balance right now. This is a VERY busy season of our life: our son is playing multiple sports, Jesse is coaching one of them, he is working in H-Town which adds a commute and traffic stress, on top of being a husband, father, son, friend and - most importantly - man of God. He is DETERMINED to keep these ducks in a row and to continue to also make time for his own workouts and nutrition.
Needless to say, our days start VERY early. #thissideof4amcrew
Interestingly, the Scripture that I turned to was echoed in our Sunday message, straight outta Hebrews, in one of my most favorite passages of all time:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:1-3
How can I use this Scripture to support my husband in this time of serious DETERMINATION?
1. Throw off everything that hinders us - what can you do to make someone's life easier, to help them to get rid of the sin and hindrances that might hold them back? For me, this means making sure Jesse's lunches are packed according to his macros, that his uniforms are clean, that we get everyone to bed at a decent hour. Grab and go, baby. This only happens when there is a plan and ISH gets DONE. This helps us to enjoy time as a family together - because right now, that time is scarce and valuable. He can stay determined when our priorities aren't stressed and simple things happen seamlessly around the house. Scrambling ain't fun, ya'll.
2. Run with Perseverance - determination and perseverance go hand in hand. And it's hard to persevere when you don't have a good support system in place. Believe me, if I had a dollar for every time Jesse "started to diet" #butidigress. Perhaps - just PERHAPS - it was because he didn't have the entire bandwidth of our support system in place. In these instances, he refers to me as "the HATER." Look, I just like to make him happy by baking brownies and getting Little Cesar's Hot-N-Ready. SUE ME.
3. Fix Our Eyes on Jesus - this one is easy, yall: PRAY. I pray for Jesse constantly. I pray for his health, for his eyes and ears and heart to be open to Jesus, for his choice of language on his morning commute, for his patience, which I know is stretched thin by a super-awesome-creative-busy-wifey and the eight-year-old whose Indian name is "He-Who-Never-Ceases-Talking." I can't stress this enough to all my wifeys and girlfriends and daughters of Christ: PRAY. You can't fix it - but HE CAN. And more often than not, it's US that gets the fixing. Ahem.
Are you, or your significant other, in a season of DETERMINATION? If so, I hope this helps you. I think these are great things to communicate to someone to HELP you stay in your determined season as well.
Please check out Destin and Connie's word of the week and be blessed! XOXO!
Very good read. Thank you for your inspirational, Godly words
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