Nicole Cleveland and Breathe Again Magazine

Tag: relationships

  • Lord, Increase the Love & Laughter

     

     

     

     

    My husband and I laugh a lot. It is part of the fabric of our relationship. We have been through too much not to. Those that know us always say we should have our own show. ( yes, it’s that serious )

    “Lord, increase the Love and Laughter.”

    This is one of the prayers we prayed when the Lord restored our marriage.

    We prayed this prayer each and everyday. ( and we still do )

    Sounds like a strange request when we had a great deal of serious issues to overcome.

    If you’re always laughing it’s kind of hard to be fighting all the time. If you’re  laughing ,it’s kind of hard to be depressed and sad. We understood that.

    I hate fighting with my husband and he hates fighting with me. It’s like my friend won’t talk to me and that hurts. He is my friend and I am his. ( at times we think I’m his only friend because he is so selective when it comes to people ) We still have our issues but we always come back to one another laughing. One of us does something silly and we end up laughing about it.

    When I look back over our relationship there is a great deal of pain. Pain we don’t want to ever relive.
    We lost time that can never be replaced.

    “Time is more valuable than money.You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.” – Jim Rohn

    Life is too short to not be happy. Don’t waste time fighting with one another.

    Live, Love and Laugh!

    Ask the Lord to increase the love and laughter in your marriage or relationship. Trust me, it works!

     

     

  • Let’s Stay Together

    Love & Marriage Column

    Change Gospel Newspaper ( February 2011 )

    In March my husband and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage – Glory!
    This did not come without trials, heartaches and pain.
    You all know that, ( I wrote a book about it ) But that’s not all we had to go through. There were days  I wanted to run for the hills and vice versa. I also had days that I was floating on a cloud of love never wanting to come down. To this day I can say I am still “in love” with my husband. He is my friend, husband, partner and my lover. I love me some him! He rocks my world.

    Marriage is not a cake walk. It is WORK! But you must be willing to put in the work. (more…)

  • Will My Marriage Last ?

    Love & Marriage Column

    Change Gospel Newspaper ( July 2010 )

    NICOLE

    Will My Marriage Last ?

    By Nicole Cleveland

    Recently I had a conversation with  a single sister.

    “I’m scared to get married”, she said “look at what happened to you.”

    Truth be told many singles feel this way. Some voice their concerns and some run before the relationship gets too serious. The power couples once looked upon as the epitome of marriage are quickly fading away. High profile celebrities and leaders of mega ministries are now separated or divorced.

    Look at Al & Tipper Gore, divorcing after 40 years of marriage.
    To spend 40 years with one person and “grow apart” is sad.
    Instead of “growing apart” my question would be “how do we grow closer ?”
    “How do we make this work?“ Dreams of once growing old with each other and enjoying
    their senior years together are shattered.

    People are dissolving their marriage after 20,30 and 40 plus years. The kids are grown , out of the house and the parents decide they don’t know or like each other.

    Everyday someone is in divorce court testifying about infidelity, domestic violence, sex and communication.

    Will My Marriage Last?

    Yes, it can.

    It takes hard work, commitment and most important, God to make a marriage work.

    Marriage is a threesome. God, Husband & Wife. It’s similar to a triangle and God is at the top. In my opinion a marriage cannot survive without God. He is the source and the foundation. Without him, two very different people are trying to become one on their own. With  God , two people that believe in him are merging into one, sharing the same faith, principles and love. It’s not forced because we share the characteristics of the almighty.

    Will your love be tested?

    ABSOLUTELY!

    What relationship is not tested?

    Take my marriage for instance. It was almost destroyed due to an affair. An affair that produced a child. My marriage seemed hopeless and just when I thought it was over  God restored the love and trust and I am ever so grateful. We are not only lovers but we are now friends. My husband and I had to “grow” through what we went through so that God could get the glory from the restoration. The process was not easy, but it was well worth it. Marriage between a woman and a man is honorable.

    You may be saying  – “ But my marriage is horrible, it can not be fixed.”

    God can take a broken marriage and put it back together again. He takes little love and makes much. Falling out of love is not an option in God.

    I am a living testimony of God being at the top of my marriage triangle. Is he at the top of yours? If not, do some adjusting.

    Can Marriage Work?

    Yes it can , if you work it.

    Stay Blessed

    Nicole Cleveland is a minister ,motivational speaker  and author of “So He Cheated, Now What?”
    Visit her online at www.nicoleconline.com or email her at nicoleconline@gmail.com