Day 24
You ever feel like a taco and just fall apart? Me too, friend. Some days are just better than others. I lean into my weird humor to get through it. Facebook memories hit me all in my feels the other day when I saw a picture of two people we loved dearly holding Caden as a baby when he was born, and now they are living the dream in Heaven. My husband lost his dad and best friend within 24 hours of each other. Talk about hard. I think back to how Mike handled their passing. Someone put it so eloquently the other day when I mentioned it. He said, “Mike’s got that fortitude that you wish more people would possess.” In my mind, I was thinking, “yeah he really pushed through it.” But that’s not what fortitude means at all. Fortitude means the mental strength to endure pain, hardship, or danger with courage or courage in pain or adversity. The man went on to explain that most men turn to alcohol, drugs, pills, over working or can’t communicate their feelings and they implode with anger and bad attitudes. Mike was definitely in pain, heartbroken, two times over.
You don’t just have to lose someone in your life to death to be falling apart. You can be enduring hardships for any reason. You can be experiencing pain in your day to day life, just existing. There’s so many ways that life can just straight up slap you upside the face and leave you questioning if everything will be okay. If this sounds like your life right now. I’m in the trench with you, friend. I just want to remind you of the fortitude you possess. God equipped us with strategies for mental toughness. If we don’t pick up the tools, we can’t beat the hardship. The pain will fester and get worse.
Today, I want us to pray for not only our husbands but for ourselves too. Lord, give us fortitude to endure with courage!
Prayer prompts:
Is there a pain or hardship your husband is struggling with right now? Call it out by name and ask the Lord to help him with it.
“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13
Pray that whatever troubles, your husband and yourself might encounter, that you will seek Him continually to help you endure.
“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” 1 Chronicles 16:11
Pray that any hardship, pain or struggle that you and your husband experience will teach you something good that you can help others with and develop your character for your good.
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” Romans 5:3-4
Lord, today I come to you and ask specifically that you give my husband fortitude he needs to endure (insert any hardship he’s experiencing). I pray that I will be in constant fellowship with You interceding on his behalf. We know you are sovereign and can work any situation for good. Develop my mental toughness and stability so that I can withstand and endure my own troubles and bad days. Lord, I thank you that You are always with me and my husband and no matter what, there’s no pain that can’t be covered by the blood of Jesus. Thank you for being my constant companion and friend (John 15:15). I ask all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Challenge:
Send your husband a picture of yourself and tell him, “feeling cute, might wanna love on you later!” I mean…it is hump day 😉