Month: July 2017

As a Prepare-Enrich Trainer and Coach, I get their regular newsletters. I felt this month’s was particularly fantastic so I’m reprinting for your benefit. Enjoy, PJ

We know that life can be hard sometimes and that it can take a toll on your relationship – but can positivity play a role in your marriage? What is your attitude towards your marriage? Imagine this: It’s a Tuesday morning; you forgot to set your alarm last night. You wake up half an hour late and no longer have time to shower before work. Scrambling to get in on time, you forget to grab an orange – which you have every morning for breakfast. Once you get into work, ten minutes late, you find you are scheduled for a morning meeting … again. Bewildered by the audacity of your supervisor, you reluctantly accept the scheduled meeting on your computer and start to prepare for it. Ten thirty rolls around and you walk into the meeting. Everyone is laughing, smiling, having a general good time and you roll your eyes to yourself – it’s a Tuesday, why is everyone so cheerful. Twenty minutes into the painfully “fun” meeting you sputter out a chuckle. What. Where did that come from? It’s almost as if your coworkers’ positivity had an impact on your mood. Believe it or not, the people you spend your time with can affect your attitude towards your day, your week, and even your life in general. When you have a positive outlook, it can help your mood which has been shown to affect your health. Here are some things that a positive outlook can do to affect your life: There’s more laughter A valuable source of motivation Attracts other happy people Reduces stress Lowers risk for heart-related health problems If we know that a positive outlook affects your mood and your health – what if we think about it in terms of your relationship? If you have a poor attitude at work, school, or in general about your life you may be projecting that attitude onto your marriage without knowing it. If you know having a positive outlook on life can lower your health risks, think about what having a positive outlook on your relationship could do for your marriage’s health. Take some time each day to remember the good in your relationship, even when you’re running late because your spouse couldn’t figure out which tie to wear, or bitter that you missed the bus because your partner was having a bad hair day, or stressed that your partner forgot to pick up more milk for the recipe you are making tonight.  What is your marriage attitude?  A little grace, empathy, and thankfulness might give you the boost you need.  Healthy, happy couples have healthy, happy relationships. And lastly, remember to smile, it actually won’t kill ya! April Social Media Recap  Did you check out our blog series last month?  We interviewed four couples from the PREPARE/ENRICH family to see their insights on marriage.  It’s worth a read! Marriage is More  than a Piece of Paper    This is part one of a mini interview series the team at PREPARE/ENRICH conducted during the month of May to celebrate anniversaries with couples like you. As we approach the month of June, wedding season is upon us.  With weddings come anniversaries – many, many anniversaries.  Relationships are our priority here at P/E and we […]…»     Trending on Facebook :  25 Fun Questions To Ask Your Spouse The Funniest Tweets From Parents This Week 5 Things Strong Families Have In Common 4 Things We Learned From Marriage Counseling Like these stories? Like us on  Facebook and follow us on  Twitter for more!

Sometimes the bad news in life is really good–or, at least it produces good results.

I worked in the Product Marketing department for a systems software company in Princeton, NJ for a couple of years. I was hired to write product brochures, direct mail pieces, and more.

A few months after I started in that job, there was a reorganization in our department and one of my peers got promoted and became my manager. We had always got along well and so, at first, I thought this was a great thing.

I was wrong.

Soon after assuming her new role, Bev became insanely jealous of my friendship with her boss, the VP. He and I attended the same church and used to go jogging together, etc. She became obsessed with the idea that we were talking about her and that I was going to try to take over her job. Honestly, I didn’t want her job—hated the thought of it—still, she couldn’t get past this.

Despite my reassurances to her, she decided to make my work life a living hell. She started assigning other people to do the same tasks she had already given me. She cut me out of the loop in meetings where I would normally need to be involved in order to do my job. She was constantly critical and always irritated.

I almost quit. However, a position opened in the field and I grabbed it. I had wanted to be in sales and this was both my escape and my opportunity. Little did I realize that what seemed like a trial would lead to me more than quadrupling my income over the next 12 months.

When Bad News is Actually, Good!

What seemed like a loss turned into one the the greatest victories of my life.

Whatever you’re facing right now, keep in mind that God can and does

work all things for our good (Romans 8:28). If your relationship is struggling and you feel like a failure, remember that the lessons learned and the faith produced is priceless and may produce an amazing blessing.

Don’t quit! Keep moving forward. Keep believing. Your greatest victory may be right around the corner.

To that end,

Pastor Joel