A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.
The following is the first of a 2-part post.
It's a bit late and I apologize for this, but I promise that it is well worth your wait.
The information presented below is not only valuable for Valentine's Day, but beyond. :)
On Valentine's Day you would probably have gifted flowers, a romantic dinner, spa treatment, gone on vacation together and done all the romantic things expected on Valentine's Day.
But tell me, what happens after the Valentine's Day excitement is over?
The following gifts help you appreciate the beautiful person that God has placed in your life...
...Your spouse.
[We do recognize that many opt for long term partnerships outside of marriage.
However, Girl With a Purpose (GWAP) Blog encourages marriage for lovers, to further demonstrate your commitment to each other and as demonstration of your obedience to God's word].
The following gifts will help build an impenetrable wall around your marriage, so that your marriage will be a refreshing haven for you..
...One that will replenish you when times are difficult and one in which your joy will be magnified, when both you and your spouse enable each other to develop into the human beings that God has predestined.
So single persons you need to read this post too.
Gift #1: Love
God created love - so who better to enable us to love, than God Himself?
We learn a lot about love from God's word...the bible.
E.g. love is defined and spelled out in detail in 1 Corinthians 13. The beauty about this passage of scripture is that it helps us (both single and married persons) to understand what selfless and unconditional love is all about.
So, do you want to have a successful marriage?
Then read, meditate and carry out love as prescribed in 1 Corinthians 13 and you can't go wrong. :)
When married couples first learn to love God and then learn how to love each other as God intended, then marriages will be beautiful places...and those seeking to disrupt your relationship will have no room to flourish.
Gift #2: Selfless Understanding
To understand someone, is to put yourself in that person's body and experience life from his/her perspective.
This is not an easy task, but one which requires a lifetime of selflessness towards your spouse.
Understanding requires patience with your spouse and a willingness to be a good listener, a great shoulder to cry on and a great cheerleader/encourager...in great and in difficult times.
It means that:
a) Even if your spouse is more successful than you...you'll encourage him/her to greatness (to be the best that God wants him/her to be) and not be jealous of his/her success.
b) If you are more successful than your spouse...you will not use this to try to diminish your spouse's contribution to your marriage and your life, but will be thankful, daily, to God, for placing that person in your life.
c) You will not pressure your spouse in difficult times but work with him/her through the difficulties - thus strengthening the bond between the both of you.
It also means sacrificing together, knowing that you'll receive a greater reward in the end - a lifetime of open and honest communication, fostered by your willingness to understand each other's perspective and outlook on life.
When you set this standard for your marriage - of selfless understanding - you both will grow...
...thus continuously improving your relationship.
Gift #3: Sensuality and Care
Now, most married couples would have used the day to get cozy and intimate.
This is good...very good.
The gift of care means taking care of your spouse's needs - as far as is humanly possible.
So let's deal with the first aspect of sensuality and care, here:
a) Sex
Sex was created by God for marriage...that's the context within which God designed that total giving of yourself to another human being to take place.
So it's important that married people understand that they have a duty to fulfill each other's sexual needs.
The bible even states that once two (2) people become married, that the husband's body belongs to his wife and vice versa.
...and that the only time that you should be saying "no" in the bedroom is when you've set aside time to pray and to fast.
So God intends married couples to have very fulfilling and frequent sex lives. (The level of frequency is dependent on the both of you).
=====================
[A Special Note to Virgins Getting Married
Your virginity is the greatest gift that you could give to your spouse, on your wedding night/honeymoon.
Please allow me to repeat, for emphasis:
Your virginity is the greatest gift that you could give to your spouse, on your wedding night/honeymoon.
So if you're a virgin going into marriage, you should educate yourself about human sexuality - that of your own and that of your intended husband/wife...
...In that you need to:
i) Have an idea of what you'd like to do and be done to you, within the context of marriage.
[You have a lifetime to use the imagination that God has gifted you with, to think of these things]
ii) Read, research - use books and the Internet to find wholesome views of sexual intimacy and question your friends and confidants, including those inside your church, temple, mosque; family members who've been married for between 2-50 years and whose advice you can trust, re how to spice up your sex life.
Great books to start with include:
Since God intended two (2) virgins to marry... you also need to have open and frank discussions with your girlfriend/boyfriend re what his/her sexual desires and preferences are like, before you marry...for even if this person is a virgin, he/she would have had some ideas of what he/she'd like].
=============================
You are responsible for making sex interesting and fun, so you need to know what settings to have sex in, which areas to touch on your spouse's body and how to touch your spouse to make him/her respond positively to you.
(You can use the "five (5) senses hint" given below, to get you two started...thus taking this Valentine's Day gift to new heights in your relationship).
Your failure to do this will bring temptation into your marriage - temptation that is very easily met outside of your marriage, in today's world.
b) The second aspect of sensuality and care is:
Helping your spouse to be well groomed, well-nourished and healthy (spiritually, emotionally, psychologically,mentally and physically).
So:
i) Food preparation and "keeping the house clean" is key...
ii) Helping him/her, by being that mirror at the back of his/her body is important...e.g. you can help him/her see to it that his/her shirt or blouse is neatly tucked in, or to see if a slip is showing etc.
iii) Ensuring that you are both educated sufficiently (or trained to the highest vocational levels), to progress in your careers/business, is also very important.
iv) Having devotions together deepens your love and understanding of who God is and encourages His presence and influence upon your individual lives and your marriage...
...Thus making you more thoughtful and caring towards each other.
Having intimate sessions, where you both examine each other's body...inch by inch and centimetre by centimetre...is also very important.
And I will put some emphasis here, because of the gravity of it:
...Please use the five (5) senses that God has given you [aka "the five (5) senses hint"]: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and touching, to see to it that your spouse is healthy.
Your mission is to:
i) Understand your partner's body and his/her response to you/your touch
ii) Check his/her body for signs that things may be wrong externally and internally - e.g. check for abnormal bumps, callouses, areas that are tender to touch - which may cause discomfort or pain; rashes, dry spots, etc.
Spouses have been known to discover breast and testicular tumors, so you need to insist firmly, gently and playfully, that your spouse allows your full examination.
You also need to be in well-lit and quiet settings, from time to time, where you'll be able to discover these things.
God has placed you in each other's lives to care for each other...to really tend to and care for each other.
The day that you both take an active interest in caring for each other (including caring for each other's bodies), is the day that your spouse will be so preoccupied with you, that he/she'll never be tempted to look outside of your marriage for emotional, sensual and sexual comfort.
Continued...please see Priceless Gifts for Valentine's Day and Beyond - Part 2
[I would like to thank:
1) Carlos Lascano for the use of his inset video above
2) Mogacito for the use of his photo, entitled, "Hold me.." (1st photo above)
3) teachercreature for the use of her photo of the feet intertwined (2nd photo above)].
Gillian