does your husband really deserve your respect and submission?

Nope. He doesn't.

I may not know anything about your husband, but I do know this: He doesn't deserve your respect, or for you to submit to him. He really doesn't deserve your love either.

Chances are he messes up all the time. He probably misses the mark a lot when it comes to leading your family. I'm sure we could go on and on, but I don't want to be disrespectful to anyone...so I'll get to the point.

Respect can't be something we make our husbands earn, nor our submission; because they will never consistently deserve it. If I am using a sliding scale of sorts to determine whether or not my husband deserves my respect and submission, I will always be able to find a reason not to....and I think we all know that is what our flesh desires. We just love finding fault in others too much.

Now ask yourself, what does the gospel of Jesus Christ say about what we deserve and what we are capable of earning? Are you capable of earning and deserving your husband's love?? Certainly not! If my husband decided to use that sliding scale to determine my worthiness of his love--well, he wouldn't ever do that (thank the Lord)--I would be doomed. 

It's preposterous to be in a gospel centered marriage and think of love this way, but for some reason I'm able to trick myself into seeing submission this way. But if we look in Ephesians 5, the two are right next to each other in Paul's instruction for marriage. And I know that, I've known that for a long time. So why do I let myself believe that my husband needs to be found deserving of my respect and submission in a court where I am judge and jury? This is not only unhealthy to a marriage, but it is contradictory to the gospel! 

We glorify God in our submission, and isn't that why we were created? We are ultimately submitting to the Lord by striving to have a submissive spirit in our marriages, and fulfilling our sole purpose in life...to bring glory to God!

Friend, if you have struggled with this as I have, I urge you to consider YOUR desperate and helpless state...and what you truly deserve. We all deserve the wrath of a just and righteous creator, yet are offered adoption as sons of God through Christ's atoning work. We live redeemed and free from the bondage of sin, yet we can never earn or deserve it. 

Father, may we as wives submit ultimately to you; and may your love flow through us and on to our families.

Here's to seeing through the eyes of the Spirit!

Linking up with Time Warp Wife's Titus 2sdays!!

Our first GIVEAWAY!!!

I'm so excited about my first giveaway!! The lovely lady behind the adorable Welcome, Darling. has been generous enough to supply this #adorbzzz scalloped edge hat & accessory bundle, for one lucky winner! All you have to do to enter is like the {mkg} Facebook page !!! Once it hits 50 likes, a winner will be selected at random. Don't miss out!

sickness in my house...again. I just...can't. {plus cute medication log printable}

This isn't an exaggeration. Brace yourself.

My family has been sick perhaps twelve times in the past six months. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Everyone keeps asking me if there is something in my house that is making us sick (super comforting thought, btw), and if I'm doing things to boost our immune system.

I don't know if there is something in this house making us sick, but I really don't think there is. It's been stomach bugs, head colds, combinations of the two, pneumonia, etc. Oh, and I am doing the best I can with the immune system thing. We are using a custom blend of essential oils for immunity (something I'm trying to convince ShabbyNot4Gotten to add to her fabulous side project, The High Heeled Hippy on Storenvy), we're doing probiotics, juices & smoothies, making sure we get enough exercise, etc. 

All that being said, we've just been sick SO MUCH. And I just can't. ("Just can't what?") I just can't.

I am in complete survival mode these days. Imagine me juggling sippy cups & bottles, medicine bottles, snacks, a pot boiling over in the background, approximately 3-4 kids screaming and crying in the background, me stepping on a duplo and dropping said cups, bottles, and medicine bottles, me yelling at said kids, me stomping into my room for a scream into a pillow and a deep, cleansing breath (or 50), and finally me coming out with tears in my eyes, ready to start over.

^^This. This has been my life nearly every of the times the past few months.

Allow me to clarify something right quick? I really don't want to complain about my life...it is SO awesome, and I am SO SO SO thankful for it. This is a vent, but also a hope that someone can relate to and be encouraged by all of this...somehow. 

With all this juggling and what not going on, and me constantly zombie-ing around, I worry about giving my kids the wrong dose of medicine or flat out the wrong medicine. Plus, my cubby goes to the hospital every now and then and I need to know everything he's had the previous few days...so...I try to always use a medication log. (Quick disclaimer: I am not beast mode organized. I really want to be, and I have been for a select few seasons of life, but this is not one of them.) It's just a simple little form to track which kid had which thing and how much they had; or rather, how much was in the cup or dropper...and I really have no idea how much made it down the hatch.

So, without further ado, I give you the medication log. Print a few and hang them up in your kitchen or bathroom, or wherever the pharmacy is in your home.

Here's to...praying through the rest of cold & flu season!

Tiff