2. Overcommitment and time pressure are the greatest destroyers of marriages. It takes time to develop any friendship... whether with a loved one or with God Himself.
10. Comparison is the root of all feelings of inferiority. The moment you begin examining other people’s strengths against your most obvious weaknesses, your self-esteem starts to crumble!
The Lord gave me this challenging child for a purpose. He wants me to mold and shape this youngster and prepare him or her for a life of service to Him.
13. If you’re going through difficult times today, hold steady. It will change soon. If you are experiencing smooth sailing and easy times now, brace yourself. It will change soon. The only thing you can be certain of is change.
When you consider the many pressures that couples face today, only an iron-clad determination will hold them together for a lifetime. Those who go into marriage with a mushy commitment are likely to wobble and fall apart when the hard times come. And as we all know, hard times will come.
Beautiful, enticing, forbidden fruit will be offered to you when your “hunger” is greatest. If you are foolish enough to reach for it, your fingers will sink into the rotten mush on the back side. That’s the way sin operates in our lives. It promises everything. It delivers nothing but disgust and heartache.
17. One of the secrets of successful living is found in the word balance, referring to the avoidance of harmful extremes. We need food, but we should not overeat. We should work, but not make work our only activity. We should play, but not let play rule us. Throughout life, it will be important to find the safety of the middle ground rather than the imbalance of the extremes.
Women hold the keys to masculine behavior. Guys are inclined to take what they can get and be no more accommodating than they have to be.
Clearly, unless the Lord chooses to explain Himself to us, which He does not often do, His motivation and purposes are beyond the reach of mortal man.
23. With God, even when nothing is happening... something is happening.
Behavior has consequences, and stupid behavior often has terrible consequences.
32. Before you criticize your parents for their failures and mistakes, ask yourself: “Will I really do that much better with my own children?” The job is tougher than it looks, and mistakes are inevitable!
Steps can then be taken to slow down the natural progression before it gets started. It doesn’t work to allow all the preliminary intimacies and then hope to stop the progression just short of intercourse. Very few people have the willpower to do that.
So enjoy the exhilaration when it comes. Take the ride to the heights when you get the opportunity. But don’t get hooked on the thrill of the moment. Take charge of your emotions. And when it comes time to do the right thing, don’t let your feelings lead you to compromise. That is the way to live a happier, more successful life and one that is more pleasing to God.
29. Most loneliness results from insulation rather than isolation. In other words, we are lonely because we insulate ourselves, not because others isolate us.
Until we know who we are and why we are here, no amount of success, fame, money, or pleasure will provide much satisfaction.
Your most precious memories will focus on those you loved, those who loved you, and what you did together in the service of the Lord.
The relationship between a guy and a girl naturally becomes more intimate as they spend time together.
I read one study that indicated when a couple has been together for approximately three hundred hours, even most of those who are trying to be moral will do things they didn’t intend originally. They may not even realize that is where the relationship is headed until it happens.
The idea that Love Must Be Tough dictates that we be willing to set another person free- even if it causes us great pain to let go. When we do this, we maximize the chances that that loved one will not leave, because the cage door has been opened and self-respect has been affirmed.