We've read the verse. We've recited it. We know it. "Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which ] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]." Phil 4:6-7 The Passion translation puts it this way: "Don't be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life..." I knew the passage very well. I prayed it. I memorised it. Yet I was still deep in worry because I wasn't seeing things change and there were so many BIG unknowns. If you are finding it difficult to walk this promise out and experience the peace. If you are feeling 'pulled in different directions" - then this is a heart-felt reminder that the "Fear Downsizing Tool" in the Classroom can help you with that. If you haven't tried it yet, it's there available to you.

Give your spouse a time frame that's reasonable — not reactive. If he needs space, honour it. But set a boundary around it. For me, two days was my max threshold. It made a huge diference when I would name it too. "I can see you need some space so I will give it to you. Two days is the maximum though.." Afterall - we had a household of 3 children and conversations needed to happen where managing their universe was concerned. If he was still in silence at that point, I would call it. Proverbs 15:1 reminds us that a soft answer turns away wrath. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is lower the temperature in the room — not by shutting down ourselves in response (which I was prone to do at times out of retaliation) but by approaching it differently. What's worked for you in the past when it comes to either a boundary or a timeframe in a scenario like this?

Resist the story spiral! The moment my husband would go into silent mode, my mind would instantly launch into all kinds of stories I would start telling myself. The first one would typically be "he doesn't love me anymore" followed by "I'm not enough for him" followed by "I've done something wrong...again..." You get the idea. But here's what I found (by practice - not just as a wife but also as a coach and someone now trained in helping others rewire their internal belief system): 🧠The mind listens! The human brain cannot distinguish between objective truth, and what you tell it. It works TIRELESSLY to make your internal dialogue your physical and emotional reality. That internal narrative pattern I used to have had less to do with my husband and more to do with my own belief system shaped by experiences from my past. We are already prone to telling ourselves negative things, and so a conscious reframe is telling ourselves a DIFFERENT and better story than the negative one. "I AM enough for him. Right now he's struggling to find words to talk through what's going on." "This is a temporary challenge, and I have the resilience to handle it." "I trust myself to handle whatever happens, and I let go of the rest." It takes practice because it doesn't come naturally. But like building a muscle - you get strong with it. So - here's a question for you. What's a repeating negative belief that you want to develop a 'conscious reframe' with? Let me know in the comments below and we can shape a present tense and powerful reframe!

Sometimes when there is SO MUCH going on, even our prayers can feel tired. That's where we can stand together. What's one thing this week in particular you'd appreciate prayer for? Let me know in the comments below.

THIS one helped me so much to have much more constructive conversations! Ever found yourself launching into fix-it mode when your spouse has talked to you about something - because the solution seems so obvious? Or perhaps you've AVOIDED even starting a conversation because your spouse has done that so many times, when it hasn't been what you were needing - that you just keep it to yourself? Tip #2 helps you BOTH. Instead of launching into a conversation, pre-frame it at the beginning by defining exactly what you are needing. "I want to talk something through with you. What I need is for you to just listen, because I want to process this out loud. This would really help me." Or try this: "I want to talk something through with you, and I want to hear your thoughts on a possible solution..." Whether you just need him to listen, or you need him to come up with solutions to something - naming what you need at the very beginning takes the pressure of him and gives him a clear, achievable role.