{are you kidding me? I won...}

...a blog makeover from super, awesome Mandy over at Shabby Pumpkin! Her stuff is super, duper cute and she's so creative. She also made over my sweet friend Mandi's blog. How cute is that?! I can not wait to show off her work on my blog! Thanks so much Mandy!!!


Now, on a different note...

I'm doing Beth Moore's Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman Bible study...btw, it's amazing! Anywho, today's lesson was based on Esther 7:6-7, when Esther reveals to Xerxes who it is that wants to destroy, kill and annihilate her and her people, the Jews. In those verses is also the first reference specifically to "the king and queen." Until now, Esther and Xerxes have been referred to as two separate people, not a married couple.

The hubster and I are in a rough spot in our marriage right now...no thanks to our crazy schedules. But I can totally see how Satan is working to keep us apart and against each other. We have allowed life to cause us to lead almost separate lives and we're not standing as a united front against the enemy who so desires to see our marriage crumble. So, what Beth had to say about Esther and Xerxes standing side-by-side against their enemy, Haman, really hit home w/me today. Beth writes, "A husband and wife can bond when a threat arises. We can be two people living very separate lives when, all at once, crisis shoves us onto common ground. In Satan's vicious attacks against our marriages and families, he remains unmoved until we decide, as different as we are and as much conflict as we've had, to stand together. Then, Beloved, he is terrified."

I so needed to hear that this morning! How about you? Are you and your spouse on seemingly different paths? If so, choose now to "stand side-by-side on level ground as an actual couple." It's what God wants for our marriages and families! Matthew 12:25 says, "a household divided against itself will not stand." Please join me in praying for the marriages of our friends and loved ones. Leave me a comment if you have found a way to keep your marriage strong in the face of your enemy.