Is the honeymoon over?

Yes, is the honeymoon over? At the beginning of the week I thought about this, entertain me and think about it too: "At the first signs of struggle/discomfort, the honeymoon is over."

I'm talking beyond marriage here. But let's think about marriage for a minute. Let's address how NO ONE tells you that marriage is the hardest thing you'll have to do. (Not a bad thing...just hard). NO ONE! How many of you were sideswiped with the demands of marriage. You probably had all these 'wonderful expectations' that 'now you had someone to serve you, always rub your back, meet your physical, emotional needs'...guess what, the person you married thought the same things. After you said "I do", you went on a honeymoon, and it's a week or two of down right romantic hugs and kisses and vacation. It's wonderful because you have time to serve eachother, rub eachother's backs...there are no distractions so you both meet eachother's needs...and it's all ooey and gooey romance, right?

Then you leave the honeymoon and life is still fresh and new together. You're excited as you put your gifts away from your wedding registry. Maybe you got a new place and so your environment is new and you fill it with new things. Life is new and you continue to be thoughtful toward eachother, you are polite to eachother.

And then one day, THE HONEYMOON IS OVER! Wifey doesn't take as much time to do her hair & her make-up, she lets her PMS ruin one week out of the month...every month. Husband gets busy at work, he's grumpy. He's grumpy to his wife, her feelings are hurt, she gives the silent treatment (even in the bedroom)...Husband gets even grumpier and the 'crazy cycle' has begun.

What happened, right? Folks, the honeymoon is a short-term 'fun' season in life. But we forget that life has demands and it's our responsibility to do what it takes to bring some 'honeymoon attitude' to our marriage month after month.

Think about other things you may have the honeymood come to end with too soon:

You get a new car, life is fun, you go everywhere in it, take your friends out in it...then everyone expects you to drive them everywhere, you can't afford the gas cuz you just got that big car payment in the mail - THE HONEYMOON IS OVER!

You get a new home, get to decorate it, buy all the new fun gadgets for it, paint it fresh vibrant colors....a few years down the road, your friends get a newer home, you're roof springs a leak, the colors seem outdated - THE HONEYMOON IS OVER!

You start a new diet, you've got results in the first few weeks because you went from eating EVERYTHING to eating nothing, then you hit a plateau, you don't want to work out maybe, you don't want to give up those few bad things that you've hung onto, you get discouraged and want to throw in the towel - THE HONEYMOON IS OVER!

I could go on and on (those who know me, know this to be true)...but we've got to snap out of it! JUST SNAP OUT OF IT!

Life requires you to be responsible. Life requires you to put others first. Life requires effort, sweat, and hardwork. Life requires discipline, sacrifice, and self-control. Life needs you to be the best YOU and hang in there when it gets tough.

Newsflash: LIFE IS TOUGH! It is. We have daily struggles, we have seasons of serious trial and wilderness...but the key is to hang on with a positive mindset and hope. Press into the adversity, let it mold you into an even greater person of determination, perseverance, and integrity. Decide today that when THE 'HONEYMOON IS OVER', you're NOT DONE!

We have to be willing to not give up! Not give up on our weight loss efforts, not give up on paying off debt, not give up with our new business, not give up on our kids, not give up on our relationship with the Lord, not give up on the marriage to our spouse. Not give up on LIFE!

We can't cry over spilt milk. We have to be bold and clean it up, put out some energy, and rise to the occasion! We have to endure to the end - even when the comfy, cozy, romantic, newness of life and experiences grow stale. We have to hang in there! PERIOD!