No postcard could ever do it justice.The movies filmed here (The Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, & Braveheart, just to name a few) don’t do it justice, either.New Zealand has absolutely the most captivating landscape on the planet!It’s been a phenomenal vacation so far…
On Monday we flew from Australia into the beautiful city of Christchurch, and on Tuesday picked up our RV rental (or “campervan” as they are called here) to begin our 6-day tour of both the north and south islands.On Wednesday, we survived a death-defying high-speed jetboat ride through the Shotover River, narrowly dodging canyon walls and huge boulders along the way.In Queenstown, we rode a gondola to the top of a mountain for a fun luge ride and snowball fights.Arriving at the top, we literally had the air stolen right out of our lungs by the breath-taking panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu with snow-covered mountains in the background reflecting off the waters like they were staring into a gigantic mirror.On Thursday, we went paddleboating on stunning Lake Wanaka, then hiked through the most enchanted-looking forests imaginable.But the highlight of our trip has been the amazing waterfalls we’ve witnessed pouring down from mountainside cliffs into some of the bluest pools we’ve ever seen.As I stare at each of these mesmerizing waterfalls, I can’t help but contemplate the magnificent forces of nature that create such a sight.What was once tons of snow and ice atop a mountain melts and becomes a raging torrent of cascading falls.
This reminds me of how similar the forces of human nature are.Sometimes my heart grows bitterly cold toward my husband for some ridiculously petty reason.He didn’t take out the trash like I asked… he forgot to get the oil changed in my car… he committed to playing in a basketball tournament the same weekend as my dear friend’s wedding.I can choose to be bitter, or I can choose a better response.I can put on my big girl panties and forgive him for being as human as I am.When I make a concerted effort to warm up to him in spite of his flaws, I notice my heart begins to thaw out quickly.As I continue to remain soft toward him, my emotional floodgates can soon burst wide open, creating a powerful force that fills me (and him) to overflowing.And that overflowing feeling is exactly what sends my sexual confidence through the roof!When Greg feels loved and affirmed by me, there’s no way he’s not going to feel sexually attracted to me.
What about you?Does unforgiveness often keep you from experiencing warm, fuzzy feelings toward your husband?Has your bedroom become a frozen tundra of bitterness?If so, don’t waste another minute stressing over who is right and who is wrong.A frozen heart isn’t nearly as fulfilling as a forgiving heart.Make the choice to let your heart thaw out today, open the emotional floodgates, and create a waterfall of positive ripple effects!
More when we return to the good old U.S.A. in a few days,
Shannon
Tara Hale says
Thanks Shannon. Great reminder.
Sharon Kendall says
I love my Shannon and all her wisdom, His wisdom!
Trying2BSCW says
I am starting to have fleeting moments like this when I can forgive my husband and have great, mind-blowing sex. I am able to do this more and more now. It has been 7 months since he betrayed me- a week before our wedding! It was the night of our bachelor and bachelorette parties. We had made a promise to each other to have everything be equal and fair and we had personal guidelines, etc. One rule we had was that we could only see strippers if BOTH of us did. Our wedding party knew these rules and since they were planning the parties together they promised to follow that rule.
Well, my girls didn’t plan a stripper, and his guys knew this. His big brother, whom now I can barely look at, decided to break the rule and go to a strip club. My husband was drinking a lot but still had since to say “she is going to be mad” and his lovely brother told him that “she doesn’t have to know”. Well thank God he told me the next morning or there would not have been a wedding! I contemplated all week whether or not to go through with it. I am glad I did, but it is still hard to forgive.
Yes, he broke the rule, went to a strip club, and betrayed my trust. Not only did it ruin my bachelorette party by scaring my fun memories of it, but it ruined any possible chance of a relationship with his brother, and my trust in my husband.
It was sad that our make-up sex was on our wedding night and I still wasn’t even completely ready for that. (not because I was witholding it for bad behavior I just was that let down and confidence destroyed).
I have read books on forgiveness, and a book called “Shattered Vows” that helped a lot. However, time is what is helping the most. I am trying so hard to get over this betrayal and I have fleeting moments and can’t wait until I can reach full forgiveness.
I am learning that if I forgive and forget it helps my marriage. It is just so hard!
At first I was ok with him going to a stip club if I had a stripper too, but I had no idea that him going to a strip club would have such a harsh impact on me. I think most of it is because of the broken promise, but also I was not being honest with myself when I was “ok” with him seeing strippers if I did too. I tried to be the “cool easy-going” girlfriend/fiance/wife about that topic but that wasn’t me at all. I am NOT ok with it.
I am hoping to find new found sexual confidence and get the strip club incident (an porn from my other post) out of my head so we can go back to the amazing sex we had at the beginning of our relationship before all this betrayal.
Is there any hope???