What I (re)learned at Walmart last night.

Last night I went to Walmart to pick up a few items - okay, not a "few" because who goes to Walmart and walks away with only a few items? Anyway, as I  walked across the parking lot toward the store I noticed a young man in his twenties walking out of the store with a woman I assume was his mother. She was pushing their cart with both hands while he kept one hand on the bar next to hers and leaning against her ever so slightly. She walked, he walked. She paused to check for traffic, he paused. She crossed the drive, he crossed the drive. Not once did he hesitate to follow her lead, and they moved together in perfect sync with the apparent practice of many years. As I walked toward the store and passed them in the parking lot, my suspicion that the man was blind was confirmed.

Immediately, I thought of the numerous Scripture references to God leading us such as Psalm 31:3, "For you are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for your name's sake, lead me and guide me". He will always lead, but of course, I actually have to follow Him. So many times I feel as if I'm blind going in to a situation. Am I leaning on Him? Is my hand resting next to His so that I can follow His lead, or am I trying to "push the cart" on my own, not looking both ways, or perhaps, not looking up? Am I walking with Him in sync after years of following?

Here are a few things about following God's lead that were reinforced to me last night:

* He will protect me from harm.
* He is always trustworthy.
* He is always looking out for my best interest.
* He wants me to "lean" on Him.
* He is the leader in this dance of life; I'm to follow.
* He can see; I'm blind.
* It takes time to learn to walk in sync.
* I should never hesitate to follow God's lead.
* I can walk with confidence.

Thank you, young man, for what you taught me last night!

We All Married Idiots:

Three Things You Will Never Change About Your Marriage and Ten Things You Can

by Elaine W. Miller

1. Did we ALL marry idiots?

 Years ago during an argument with my husband I thought, I must have been an idiot to marry this idiot! Then I burst out laughing realizing that makes me an idiot too! Later I learned the word "idiot" is derived from the Greek word "common man." When we look to our spouses to fulfill needs that only Christ can fulfill, then husbands and wives become dissatisfied with their marriages.

2. What is the purpose of We All Married Idiots?

Too many couples give up too soon for too little reason. They enter a second marriage only to realize, Ugh, this person is an idiot too! We All Married Idiots will help couples enjoy marriage as God intended.

3. What are the three things you will never change?

The first is the idiosyncrasies. We all have peculiar habits and do little things that annoy. We'd like to change our spouse's idiosyncrasies, but honestly that is not what we promised on our wedding days.

The second is sin. We all married sinners. We all sin and sin inflicts pain. There will be times you and your spouse will hurt each other.

The third is the differences. Men and women don't think the same. We have different ways of solving problems.

We All Married Idiots teaches husbands and wives to stop concentrating on the three things they will never change and focus on the ten things they can change.

4. What is your best piece of marriage advice?

In marriage we need to examine ourselves. Funny. I've read through the Bible seven times searching for a verse that says, "Examine your spouse." It's not there. But the Bible does say "examine yourself." Another word of advice is to give up your life and your marriage to God and hold on. Don't let go. The problems you have today could be gone in five or ten years. I just don't love him or her anymore is not a reason for a divorce. Husbands and wives grow up, mature, change for the better. Keep running towards the goal God has for your marriage. Of course, if you are in an abusive situation, I advise you to flee to a safe place and receive professional Christian counseling.

5. Why did you write We All Married Idiots?

I wrote We All Married Idiots to save marriages from the pain I inflicted on myself and on Dan. I wrote to glorify God and to change that awful 50% divorce rate.

We All Married Idiots is a great tool for individual study or couples to study together.  Fifty percent of our neighbors are headed for divorce. We could change that statistic by reaching out to them with a We All Married Idiots small group. The questions at the end of each chapter are not threatening and do not require a theological degree to understand. As one reviewer said, "This is the most accessible Christian book I have ever read."

6. How can We All Married Idiots be purchased?

We All Married Idiots is available on line as a print or ebook and at your local bookstore. Autographed copies can be purchased through my website,  http://www.splashesofserenity.com/  or by contacting me at SplashesofSerenity@yahoo.com.