Are you Building Walls only to Have them Knocked Down? ~ Mom Blog ~

~ my personal synopsis of a recent sermon~

Do you ever see people that have what you want?

Do you look at them and wonder, "How can I get that?"

You know what I'm talking about.... you see some people and you think they are simply blessed beyond belief. You start to desire what they have.

You want to build a successful business just like they have.
You want your marriage to be happy just like theirs.
You want the funds in your bank account to runnith over exactly like theirs.
You want deep faith to lead your life just as it leads theirs.
And, you want your family to have close bonds just like you witness in theirs.

So, what's the difference?

Why do they seem to have it all when your walls are crumbling down? Do you find yourself asking, "Why can't I get ahead in these areas of my life?"

Maybe your marriage is in turmoil.... maybe it's even your third marriage that is falling apart.
Maybe your bank account is overdrawn.
Maybe your family doesn't find the time to be a family.
Maybe your business is filing bankruptcy.
Maybe you just don't have the faith.

For these areas of your life to grow, it takes sweat.  It also takes consistency. And that means it's not going to be easy. 

Let's just focus on marriage, and then you can apply this metaphor to the rest of your life.

The blocks on the left represent a man who is devoted to his wife.  He is there for her and wants to see their relationship grow.  The blocks on the right also represent a man who is devoted to his wife.  He is there for her and wants to see their relationship grow.

A year passes. The man on the left continues to be devoted to his wife.  He starts to put sweat equity into the marriage. He asks her how she is doing on a daily basis. He pours her coffee.  He asks her out for date nights. He prays for her and their marriage.  The man on the right expects that his marriage will work, but there is no consistency in his actions and he is not willing to sweat. He is sometimes late for dinner and doesn't call.  He sometimes forgets to greet his wife when he comes home from work. He doesn't ask her directly how her day went but does talk about how hard his was. His wall are destined to start to crumble.


2 years later


The man on left, his marriage is growing. He has something to show for his sweat.  The man on the right, his marriage is falling apart. He will have to work hard, put things in overdrive, to build his walls back up if he wants his relationship to work.



3 years later



The man on the left now has a firm foundation for his marriage.  He will continue to devote the time, energy, and be consistent in his actions in order to build this lasting relationship.  The man on the right has backtracked.  He now has to recover from all his inconsistencies and try to make things work. He can build the walls again, but keep in mind, he is still on the first floor.



4 years later

 It's a vicious cycle of inconsistencies for the man on the right.

five years later

 Which set of blocks represents you?  Are you the blocks on the right, and you find yourself  having to rebuild everything from relationships to your bank account to your faith just because you are not willing to work at it? or maybe you have to work extra hard to make up for the lost effort. Is it time to break the cycle of inconsistencies in your life? After 5 years, the man on the left has something to show for his hard work. The man on the right builds his walls only to have them fall down... time after time.

You might have even noticed that the man on the right came close to building five floors himself. The problem was, his inconsistencies kept those floors from growing. You have a choice, you can work hard and have one floor, or you can work hard and build a high-rise. The high-rise gets you closer to the sky.  The high-rise is what you get after many years of sweat equity.

So, what is the answer? 

prayer, sweat, consistency

Apply those to your life and you will build your business, your finances, your family, your marriage, and your faith.

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Sister Wives ~ Mom Blog ~

I am not a big TV buff, but every once in a while a show will grab my attention and I get a little hooked.  In this case, the show Sister Wives on TLC has done exactly that.  I am not sure what it is about this show that has drawn me in unless it has something to do with the religion vs. law aspect of it.  I think one thing that intrigues me most is that this family is willing to risk the dad, Kody Brown, going to prison in order to speak up about polygamy and share the lifestyle they live with the world. There are not many people that have such a strong belief about something that they would be willing to take such a risk. crazy, but whatever! At least I get to benefit from the entertainment of it.

photo borrowed from cbsnews.com 

Of course this topic has lead me to do some reading on polygamy, and from what I can find, this is what the law reads in the state of Utah where the family resides:
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UTAH CONSTITUTION
Article 3 Section
The following ordinance shall be irrevocable without the consent of the United States and the people of this State: [Religious toleration -- Polygamy forbidden.] First: -- Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited.
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With that being said, it looks like this law clearly states that, despite religious beliefs, polygamous marriages are illegal. So, what does this family do now that they have drawn the attention of investigators?  Hire a high-powered attorney and try to win against the state of Utah, which is working to devise a case against them. I say 'hire', but I'm guessing with the publicity of this family, this is a pro bono case for an attorney trying to make a name for himself. It will be interesting to see how this case turns out or if it goes to court at all.

Next season should be quite entertaining. That is, if Kody doesn't have to serve time for, as he says, "loving four women". I am looking forward to seeing what kind of jealousies arise in the household with the pretty wife number four joining the family.  She seems to be stirring up what seemed to be a happy household. I wonder if she will end up moving into the house with the rest of the family.  It seems kind of awkward for her to have her own house away from the rest of the bunch..... so much to wonder about with this very interesting polygamist lifestyle. I shall stay tuned.

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