A Year in Photos

Our first year of marriage in photos!

Year 1, Lesson 5

Lesson #5: It takes more effort to stay mad, than to actually resolve the issue. 

This one is easier said than done because sometimes you feel like you have a such darn good tootin' reason to be fired up. Maybe so, but it takes a lot of effort to be offended and  to stay offended. With everything else life has to offer, I'm learning that maybe I don't want to waste time on being offended. That mindset doesn't help anyone and it sure doesn't benefit you.

It is a choice, but make the choice to not stay angry and offended. Life's too short for that.

Love,

The Hannis

Year 1, Lesson 4

Lesson #4: Don't speak ill of your spouse, especially in front of other people. 

This was one of the most surprising things I discovered in our first year of marriage. It saddens me to see spouses bash each other in front of their friends. Not only is it more common than I would've thought, it is accepted...no almost expected to bash the "stupid" husbands or demean the "ball-and-chain" wives.

Frankly, that is dumb.
Maybe I'm still a starry-eyed newlywed, but that's not a healthy pattern, nor is it biblical. If you keep complaining about your spouse, that makes you part of the problem. C'mon peeps! Words have consequences and we know the Bible spares no expense on instructing us on the power of our words...
One of Clark Whitten's podcasts I heard even before we got engaged talked about the danger of "uncovering" your spouse in public, that is tearing them down in front of other people.

Choose to not do that. Choose to paint a different picture of marriage to a painfully confused society.

Linking this back to yesterday's lesson, maybe better words about your spouse have to start with better thoughts about your spouse.