Latest / Wedded Wednesday with Pastor Don & Lisa Smith / A Record of Rights
Transcript
- 0:09What if marriage advice didn't have to feel like a lecture or a counseling session?
- 0:14But welcome to a weekly coffee date for your marriage that we're calling Wedded Wednesday.
- 0:20I'm Pastor Don Smith along with my wife Lisa, and we are right there in the trenches with you.
- 0:25And this podcast takes the pressure off perfect and puts the focus on purposeful.
- 0:31Our desire is to give you Bible-based tools to work on your marriage, not just in it.
- 0:37Each week we get real, we keep it lighthearted because marriage is hard enough without being stuffy.
- 0:43We want to leave you with one practical challenge to actually use before the next podcast.
- 0:50Whether you're in a great season or barely holding on, I want you to pull up a chair, get a cup of coffee, and let's be intentional together.
- 1:01Good morning.
- 1:02Good morning.
- 1:04Welcome back to Wedded Wednesday.
- 1:07We're excited for this morning and the topic that we had to talk about here on the show today.
- 1:13How are you?
- 1:14I'm good.
- 1:14How are you?
- 1:15Good.
- 1:16Wednesdays are early for you, aren't they?
- 1:19Uh the I mean I'm up, but I just gotta get out of the house early.
- 1:25Wednesdays are a little early.
- 1:27But if for if you guys don't know, uh my wife, Lisa, is not a morning person.
- 1:32I'm the morning person in the relationship, and and she's the night owl in the relationship.
- 1:37And sometimes she'll be up at, you know, midnight, one o'clock in the morning.
- 1:42No.
- 1:43Yeah.
- 1:44No.
- 1:45And then I'm I'm up at 5 a.m.
- 1:47or whatever, and which even if I went to bed earlier, I'm still not getting up at 5 a.m.
- 1:53No?
- 1:53Why?
- 1:53No.
- 1:54I like getting up at 5.
- 1:55I don't care for it as much.
- 1:59Excuse me.
- 2:00I'm more like seven.
- 2:03Seven?
- 2:04No, I'm a morning person.
- 2:05I like to get up, get the day started.
- 2:07I got I feel like I can be a little more productive when I have those uninterrupted moments.
- 2:13You know?
- 2:14True.
- 2:15From five to seven thirty-ish or whatever.
- 2:18It's kind of interrupted.
- 2:19I'm doing you a favor.
- 2:20Oh, that's what it is.
- 2:21That's doing me a favor by not being a morning person.
- 2:26I am blessing you by allowing you to have that time to yourself.
- 2:30I see.
- 2:30And then when you leave, I have my time for myself.
- 2:33Oh, so when I leave the house at like, I don't know, whatever time I leave, then that's kind of your quiet time.
- 2:39You're kind of like, okay, he's out of here.
- 2:42I was just waiting for him to go.
- 2:47I mean, I can get up if I have to.
- 2:50You know that.
- 2:51Yeah.
- 2:52It's just not that's not who you are.
- 2:54It's never no 35 years together.
- 2:58That's never been who you are.
- 2:59But now there are moments you're like, why are you up so early?
- 3:03I have an appointment, or I have this, I have to be at.
- 3:05I if I have an agenda for the morning, I can do it.
- 3:10Like, you know, hey, let's go watch the sunrise.
- 3:14I have no problem doing that.
- 3:16But I am not about having a full-blown conversation, though, about anything.
- 3:20It's not going to happen.
- 3:20Full-blown conversations are not going to happen at 5:30 in the morning.
- 3:25No, thank you.
- 3:26Speaking of that, I have uh welcome to Wedded Wednesday, everybody.
- 3:30We're glad that you're here.
- 3:32Uh, and uh, you know, if you're listening on the podcast, hey, we do this as a Facebook Live as well.
- 3:37So uh a lot of times we just kind of doing the introduction and uh we're just greeting everybody who's come on.
- 3:44We see all you, Carrie and Kayleeen, and uh we we see you guys popping up there.
- 3:49But if you just listen on audio on the on the podcast, so we're getting started here, and uh I've got a scripture for us today.
- 3:58Okay.
- 3:58Okay, you ready?
- 3:59Usually do.
- 4:00Now, again, if you're a first-time listener or a first-time watcher on the podcast, um, and uh what we do here is we just have this little wedded Wednesday moment where I kind of bring a topic and Lisa has no idea.
- 4:13She just kind of like it's it's just raw, it's right out there, and I kind of like that.
- 4:19No, but I think you do so well at it.
- 4:21So I don't feel I do very well.
- 4:22Right, here we go.
- 4:23You ready?
- 4:23So 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
- 4:25Now that's the love chapter.
- 4:27Oh boy.
- 4:28It's wedding season here uh at the time of recording the podcast, you know, Michigan.
- 4:33It's you know, it's like June, July, August, wedding season.
- 4:38So we every time you go to a wedding, you're gonna hear it.
- 4:411 Corinthians chapter 13, you know, the love chapter.
- 4:45Oh, just about every time, yeah.
- 4:46Just about every time.
- 4:48But anyway, I want I want to read this particular one, verse five, for us today because I want to title this podcast today, A Record of Rights.
- 4:56Okay.
- 4:58Now watch this and you'll you'll understand in just a minute.
- 5:00So love is not rude, love is not selfish, and does not get upset with others.
- 5:05Love does not count up wrongs that have been done.
- 5:10Let me ask you a question, Lisa.
- 5:12Yes.
- 5:12Are you ready?
- 5:14Okay.
- 5:14Here we go.
- 5:16Do I have a record of your wrongs?
- 5:18How did you know what I was gonna ask?
- 5:21Do you ever find yourself as the perfect spouse that you are keeping a record of my wrongdoings?
- 5:32To be honest?
- 5:33Yeah.
- 5:34Yes.
- 5:36Probably more so in the beginning of our marriage, but less now?
- 5:41Uh I think I try harder now.
- 5:43Oh, you try harder.
- 5:44It's not that I mess up less.
- 5:47Dang, I hope I was thinking I was thinking I was getting better.
- 5:52No, no, you're the one getting better.
- 5:54Not me.
- 5:55I didn't mean it that way.
- 5:58I didn't quite mean it that way, but that's the way it came out.
- 6:03All I mean is I try real hard not to keep a record anymore.
- 6:07I think the the more we grew in the Lord and our relationship with him as individuals, the more the Lord would try to work on my heart.
- 6:17How much of a struggle do you think that this really causes in marriages?
- 6:20That this this record, this list of wrongdoings?
- 6:24Oh, I think it causes a lot of issues because again, I think earlier on in our marriage we could argue almost every other day about things, and I would bring up things from the past, you know, things that were done before, instead of actually really forgiving you and letting it go.
- 6:44You know what?
- 6:44Here's the danger that I really think about this idea of a record of wrongdoings.
- 6:49Uh, and I and I get it.
- 6:51No one, no one wants to be done wrong, no one should be mistreated.
- 6:55Right.
- 6:55Miss you know, mist uh bad behavior isn't ever to be tolerated, uh, that kind of thing.
- 7:02Uh, but what I do think that uh uh keeping a record of wrongdoings does to the heart of the person who's keeping it is it causes you to turn your spouse into a villain.
- 7:16It does.
- 7:17It really does.
- 7:17Even when in moments when they're not.
- 7:20You you just want to do this to hurt me.
- 7:23You just you did that on purpose.
- 7:25I can't remember you being very angry at me one day.
- 7:29And because one day?
- 7:32I mean, it was just a moment.
- 7:34I don't even remember what it was about, but I do remember what was this last week?
- 7:38No, it was not last week.
- 7:40Um uh it was I didn't do it on purpose.
- 7:45Something happened and it really upset you, or you weren't happy about it, and probably rightly so.
- 7:50Uh, but I remember you looking at me and going, You did that on purpose.
- 7:54And I was thinking, why would I do that on purpose?
- 7:57Why would I on purpose try to upset you?
- 8:01I can probably see where someone would feel that way, especially if it was a repeated request.
- 8:07I get it.
- 8:08You know, like please don't do this.
- 8:11Or I don't like it when you do that.
- 8:14Uh could something simple that everybody can relate.
- 8:17Could you please put your shoes here and not there?
- 8:21I'm just saying it because I think it's it's easy.
- 8:23For sure.
- 8:24Okay.
- 8:25Uh, and like you, please don't move my stuff six inches from where they were.
- 8:30Well, I get you a little basket so you could put it in there, and they still don't go in the basket.
- 8:35So that's where I could see maybe someone saying, You did that on purpose because somehow they feel they're not being heard.
- 8:44You know, and I think that that aggravation, again, that like you said uh at the beginning, like you're working on you more.
- 8:51Uh and but it can mount over the years, right?
- 8:54Like it can get heavier and heavier or add up.
- 8:57That's like the it can if you're not really releasing your spouse to the Lord.
- 9:01That's where I want to go, right?
- 9:03So early on in our dating days, what we do, I think, as married couples, is you know, we look at that gorgeous person across the table from us.
- 9:13Aww.
- 9:14And and we imagine a lifetime of romantic days.
- 9:20Yeah.
- 9:21You know, all lived in slow motion, on the beach, maybe more like laughing, having fun and filled with sweetness and love, and and you know what?
- 9:31We I think in those moments we innocently kind of dwell on the fact that we a marriage is between two imperfect people.
- 9:42Yeah.
- 9:43And that's not the thing I think we think about in those moments.
- 9:47Uh people who at times can be rude, uh, selfish, uh, people who at times can be upset at the slightest little thing.
- 9:57Sometimes I I can think, why would you be upset about that?
- 10:04Was it really that big of a deal?
- 10:07Maybe it is to that person.
- 10:08That's what I'm saying.
- 10:09Like, you know, it can be it can be those type of things.
- 10:11Flawed individuals, I think, Matt, even start key keeping the tabs, the list of their spouses' wrongdoings.
- 10:21And that causes you to begin to live in a negative thinking mindset.
- 10:28Yes.
- 10:29And that is always a pitfall that is difficult to climb out of.
- 10:34Well, it literally is a pit because then you're you're there.
- 10:39And then everything that not necessarily that they do wrong, but anything that might irritate you just a tad becomes very big.
- 10:49Yeah.
- 10:49Because it keeps falling into that pit and it keeps on piling up.
- 10:53Right.
- 10:54Because I haven't taken care of it.
- 10:58That's great.
- 10:58Uh, I think that's the truth too.
- 11:00Uh, and we need to think about how much time do we dwell on our list of wrongs that we have of our spouse versus our list of blessings that we have because of our spouse.
- 11:16More more than we share.
- 11:17Sure.
- 11:17And I why does the negative always outweigh the positive?
- 11:23I really don't know because I think there's more positives than there is negatives for sure, right?
- 11:28100%.
- 11:29Uh, but it's it it's the negative thing that jumps out of us because we start to live in that that world of negative thinking.
- 11:36And and we actually jar perspective.
- 11:39Yeah.
- 11:39It's the one thing and it stands out above everything else.
- 11:43We we actually begin to look for the negative.
- 11:49Like a bias, then it is called just that confirmation bias.
- 11:54It's kind of like nobody has the that color car uh that you bought until you buy it.
- 12:01Like that Chrysler.
- 12:02I'd never seen that before.
- 12:03Never seen that color of a car before.
- 12:05And then we drove off the parking lot, and there's like three different cars the same color.
- 12:10It's like all of a sudden, it's so what your bias is confirmed.
- 12:13And let me let me explain to you very simply today, here on Wedded Wednesday.
- 12:18Uh, I almost said talk about it.
- 12:20Uh, because that's the other podcast.
- 12:22You you should listen on that one as well.
- 12:24But um, a little shameless plug for talk about it.
- 12:27Wow.
- 12:28Anyway, uh, it's confirmation bias does just that, though, right?
- 12:32And let me tell you as a spouse how I believe that you can test yourself to see if you're living in confirmation bias.
- 12:39Okay.
- 12:40Statements like this to your spouse.
- 12:42You always are you never.
- 12:47Which are absolutely 100% not true.
- 12:50Right.
- 12:51Because you know, there's the one time that you didn't.
- 12:53But you notice every time you do.
- 12:56Right.
- 12:56So you you always, for instance, you you brought up a shoe, you always leave your shoes in the floor.
- 13:02Or you never take the garbage out, right?
- 13:04Or uh those are those are what you're stating there in that moment is that you're focused on a list of wrongdoings.
- 13:13Here's the truth: you're married to an imperfect person, they're flawed, they're always going to have something wrong.
- 13:19Right.
- 13:20Correct.
- 13:22But I titled this message or this this topic today on Wedded Wednesday.
- 13:28Uh, what about a record of rights?
- 13:30What are the things that you you guys are are can create and focus on when it's like a record of rights?
- 13:39Because what happens is that negative memories have a tendency to accumulate and resurface if they haven't been washed um away through forgiveness and forgetfulness.
- 13:52And so you say, well, Pastor Don, how do we do that?
- 13:55Lisa, how do we how do we wash away that record of wrongs through forgiveness and forgetfulness?
- 14:02Um what if you put more effort into keeping a record of good things that your spouse does?
- 14:08Well, I think I've suggested to women before, I say women because I'm I talk with women.
- 14:14Yeah.
- 14:15Um that there's nothing wrong and probably a really good idea to have like a blessing journal.
- 14:23Ooh.
- 14:24Like at the end of every Hey, I've never heard this.
- 14:26At the end of every because you're not a girl.
- 14:30Wow.
- 14:31Okay.
- 14:32But at the end of each day before before you go to bed, write the blessings from the day.
- 14:40All the good things from the day.
- 14:42Especially if you especially if you had a very bad day for some reason, and that's all you can think about is everything negative that happened that day, then you purposefully have to sit there and think.
- 14:57Lord, what was good about today?
- 14:59Is this like a journal you can go and buy?
- 15:02No.
- 15:02Or is it or is it like something we can create and like offer?
- 15:07I mean, it's just a journal.
- 15:09It was just paper and a pen.
- 15:12But it doesn't have to be, man, we I got all kind of ideas right now.
- 15:15Okay.
- 15:16That was great.
- 15:17But anyhow, you write those blessings down.
- 15:22I mean, first of all, you woke up and you took your breath.
- 15:28Even if it was like 10 a.m.
- 15:29or 11 a.m., not 5 a.m., you woke up?
- 15:33Wow.
- 15:35Wow.
- 15:36Seven is not that late, y'all.
- 15:40But anyhow.
- 15:42Now you made me lose my tremendous thought.
- 15:45Welcome to our world.
- 15:46Uh Wedded Wednesday.
- 15:48No, the blessing journal.
- 15:49I've I'm very interested in that.
- 15:51That's basically it.
- 15:52Why does it only have to be for what could we call it for dudes?
- 15:56I get it, because like blessing journal sounds a little feminine.
- 15:59Yeah.
- 16:00What can we call it for dudes?
- 16:01I don't know.
- 16:02Hmm.
- 16:05I think we're on to something.
- 16:06I don't want to say positive.
- 16:07Hey, leave in the comments right there if you'd like for us to kind of think up uh and create this thing.
- 16:13Blessing journal.
- 16:14But and and what we should call it if it's for dudes.
- 16:17Yeah.
- 16:18Perfect.
- 16:19It could be something for both of them.
- 16:21But yeah, that that's it.
- 16:23It's just like you have to take the time.
- 16:26Just like when you wake up in the morning and you pray for your day, that every encounter you have is one that is um designed specifically by God for that day.
- 16:39You know what I mean?
- 16:41And you're praying for every step that you take that day that it be a good thing.
- 16:46At the end of each day, you should write down the good things that happened during that day.
- 16:50You could have a good thing.
- 16:51And if you have a specific problem in your marriage or with your spouse, then you need to focus more on something positive your spouse.
- 17:02So I was just about to say that.
- 17:03So that that you could actually incorporate in written form your five to one ratio.
- 17:08In case you guys don't know, uh, you know, Lisa's always talked about this five to one ratio, like before, especially inside of marriage, before you're allowed to share the one negative that you And you need to share it.
- 17:20We're not saying you can't share it, but before you do that, but there's a way to share it.
- 17:24There's a way to share it.
- 17:25And what Lisa kind of invented and and and put into uh practice was that okay, before I get to share that one negative, I must share five positives.
- 17:37And so, like in your blessing journal, that could see that could be a selection the five to one section.
- 17:42It could uh for the day.
- 17:44I'm telling you, this is gonna be great.
- 17:46This is gonna be great.
- 17:48And the five to one is I think impacts me more than it.
- 17:53100%.
- 17:54I mean it it helps you out a lot because then I need all the help I can get.
- 17:59Because then I am I am sharing it out of love and out of something genuine instead of out of frustration or anger.
- 18:08For sure.
- 18:09Because the five to one works on my heart.
- 18:12Yes, it changes your perspective about it does.
- 18:15Uh it keeps you from focusing on the record of wrong and makes you focus on the record.
- 18:22No, I'm not always perfect at doing that, and I realize that, but I do majority of the time try to sit back and go, all right, Lord, is this me?
- 18:33Yeah.
- 18:33Is this why does this bother me?
- 18:36What is this a genuine thing that I need to share this concern about?
- 18:40Or are you working something in my own heart?
- 18:43What's the ratio, would you say?
- 18:45Just it's a guess.
- 18:46There's no way of knowing.
- 18:47That once you work through the five to one, that you that you actually even share the one negative thing.
- 18:53Majority of the time I don't share.
- 18:54The majority, over 50%.
- 18:57Yeah.
- 18:58Wow.
- 18:58Okay.
- 18:59See, this is what I'm saying right now.
- 19:00I'm just saying.
- 19:01I'm just saying the blessing journal.
- 19:03Okay, you you could, and at the bottom of it, there could be a section that says the five to one ratio, which means you get to share the negative.
- 19:12We're not telling you to ignore it, avoid it.
- 19:16This, but we're what we're trying to tell you.
- 19:18But we're trying to get you to remember that your heart posture needs to be right, and that you can't share you shouldn't share um out of frustration or anger.
- 19:32Because usually we say wrong things and we can't think of the proper words and things get twisted.
- 19:38When we share out of frustration and anger, all we're interested in is punishment.
- 19:43Ooh.
- 19:44I don't that's not my note.
- 19:46I don't that was good.
- 19:47And so then all we want is our spouse punished.
- 19:51And I'll admit, sometimes I do.
- 19:54I think it's the truth for everybody, though, right?
- 19:56Like, sometimes I need to pay for that.
- 20:01You need to be punished for what you did.
- 20:03But the truth of the matter is God never put me in a position to punish you.
- 20:08He only put me in a position to love you.
- 20:11Aw.
- 20:12And uh when I when I focus on that record of wrongs, then I I make you a villain, and I make myself a victim, right?
- 20:22And then all I want is retribution.
- 20:24Too many people live like a victim.
- 20:27And so too many married people.
- 20:29Yeah.
- 20:29Too many married couples, and now they're both victims, and they're both villains, and there's no hero.
- 20:35Yeah.
- 20:36There's no win in the situation.
- 20:39Um here's the deal, you know, as we talk about this today, because I think this is great.
- 20:43This is I really, I mean, this thing of a blessing journal is it's popping in my mind right now.
- 20:49Uh, we got some creatives around here in the ministry.
- 20:52I may pitch this idea to them.
- 20:54Okay.
- 20:54And we'll see what happens here.
- 20:56But, you know, is is there a list that needs to be eradicated by forgiveness in your marriage?
- 21:02That's a great question.
- 21:03It's a great way to end the show today, I think.
- 21:06Is is there a list of wrongs that need to be eradicated in your marriage by forgiveness?
- 21:17And I th and I think that if you can be honest about that, I'm not saying you gotta know how to do it, but you can it it the beginning is to the beginning of change and transformation is always honesty.
- 21:28Yes, it is.
- 21:29Okay, which is I say this all the time.
- 21:32No one and and I heard it, I heard the statement even again this morning over in a devotional thing that I was listening to.
- 21:39Uh no one falls into sin before they first fall into deception.
- 21:44And that list of wrongdoings can deceive you into believing that your marriage uh can't be what you want it to be or what God has called it to be.
- 21:58Uh I'm not again.
- 22:00Bad behavior and those type of things need to be addressed.
- 22:03Willful sin for sure.
- 22:05Yes.
- 22:05But there's a process to that.
- 22:07And if that's if that's in your marriage, we encourage you to find professionals, find help, put the effort in, uh, and the healing power will be amazing.
- 22:15So wow, this is great.
- 22:18Awesome.
- 22:19This is really great.
- 22:21Uh again.
- 22:22Uh I think that I hope that you'll listen to this over and over again.
- 22:26If you listen to it, uh, hey, spring is on there.
- 22:29Uh what's up, spring?
- 22:30Hey, we're gonna be in uh Malone uh like on the We don't 12 exactly something like that.
- 22:38Anyway, um Spring and then live over in Bascom.
- 22:45I think I think they still live in Bascom.
- 22:47I don't know.
- 22:48Anyway, so uh we want you to just kind of like sit down with your spouse, listen to this together, uh, enjoy the conversation, maybe find yourself uh some paper.
- 23:00Mm-hmm.
- 23:01A notebook a notebook.
- 23:03And and start your own kind of little specifically for you.
- 23:06Blessing journal, and then at the bottom, don't put other things in.
- 23:10Yeah, the bottom third, the bottom third, just put like the five to one ratio.
- 23:15Five, that what is that?
- 23:17A colon, semicolon?
- 23:18I I don't know what it is.
- 23:20I don't know.
- 23:20I'm not I'm sorry.
- 23:21It's just five to one.
- 23:22Marty Coley, I'm sorry, I didn't pay attention in English.
- 23:25Um, anyway, at five to one, so that means you gotta list five amazing things about your spouse that you're thankful for before you can list the one thing that you're really struggling about.
- 23:36And do that on a daily basis for seven days.
- 23:39That's our challenge.
- 23:40There you go.
- 23:41And uh let's see what God will do.
- 23:43I think God's wonderful things.
- 23:45Man, thanks for joining us today.
- 23:47We're gonna pray for you guys.
- 23:47Is that alright?
- 23:48Here we go.
- 23:49Let's pray.
- 23:50Lord, I pray you quicken our memories to retain the good things and forgive and forget the wrong things.
- 23:58Yes.
- 23:59Father God, I just thank you for each couple that listens, Lord, that you continue to move in their hearts and move in their lives and in their marriage, Father God.
- 24:07Let their marriage be a reflection of who you are and how you love this world and how you love each individual.
- 24:14And I thank you, Lord, right now that you're gonna transform hearts and minds, Father God, to see the good in one another and to be able to record those things so that they will be able to look back on them in days when they feel that they are struggling, Father God.
- 24:30I just thank you right now for what you're doing in Jesus' name.
- 24:33In Jesus' name.
- 24:34Hey, we love you guys.
- 24:35Do us a favor, okay?
- 24:36Uh share this on your social media.
- 24:39Like when as soon as we post it here, just like share it on your page, Facebook, all those things, because I know that people can be blessed by it.
- 24:46And you know, we're just a couple of imperfect people who've been married for uh over 34 years.
- 24:52Spring.
- 24:52Can you believe that spring Richardson knew me and Lisa before we were married?
- 24:58Yeah.
- 25:00We all worked together.
- 25:01Uh that's crazy.
- 25:02That was way back.
- 25:03Can you believe what the Lord has done, Spring?
- 25:05It's been incredible.
- 25:06Who'd I ever thought?
- 25:08Yeah.
- 25:08Uh anyway, so uh also, uh, as soon as I get a chance today, every Wedded Wednesday, I will also upload it on the podcast.
- 25:17So here's what I like to do go to Spotify, go to Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast at.
- 25:23It's on all the major podcasting platforms.
- 25:25Find Wedded Wednesday with Pastor Don and Lisa.
- 25:29Okay, there's a lot of Wedded Wednesday podcasts out there.
- 25:31It's crazy.
- 25:33But find ours, and these episodes will be on there.
- 25:37And we would just appreciate it that I got there's show notes.
- 25:40You can click on there, support the show.
- 25:41You can do all the things, but the most thing you can do is subscribe and rate the show, and that's gonna help the algorithm a whole lot.
- 25:49Okay.
- 25:49Is that good?
- 25:50Sounds good.
- 25:51Yeah, well, we love you guys.
- 25:53We thank you for being here each and every Wednesday.
- 25:56And until next week, here is a Love All.
- 26:00Bye.
- 26:01Have a great for ya.
- 26:02God bless.
- 26:03See you next week.