{"product_id":"2940013908932","title":"Secrets of an Amazing Marriage","description":"STEP #1\u003cbr\u003eTake Responsibility for Your Life, Reputation, and Marriage\u003cbr\u003eI can’t help but feel that I might lose some readers right here. Some of you reading this e-book have been dealt a bad hand in the game of life. Let’s face it. Life is not always fair, and some people have more than their fair share of tragedy and challenge. You may feel like life is literally against you. There could be numerous circumstances or people working against you.\u003cbr\u003eI’ve counseled quite a few people over the years, and I know that life can be hard. That it can deal some pretty severe blows. But as battered as you may be, it is your life, and…\u003cbr\u003eYOU have a choice to make.\u003cbr\u003eAnd here it is….\u003cbr\u003eYou can take responsibility for your life and situation\u003cbr\u003e….OR….\u003cbr\u003eYou can try to point the finger and pass the blame to someone or something else.\u003cbr\u003eThe choice you make it up to you, but the stakes are too high to ignore. You have only one life and there is no restart button. This isn’t a video game, where you can\u003cbr\u003eearn bonus lives through the accumulation of points or where you can simply load up a new game if things start to go badly. This is it. You have one life. What are you going to do with yours?\u003cbr\u003eIt’s at this realization that some people just throw up their hands and resign themselves to mediocrity or disappointment. Others lose themselves in depression or escapism (drugs, alcohol, etc.). The fact that you have only one life should not send you deeper into despair or depression, no matter how tough things are for you right now. It should motivate you to drive your personal flag into the ground, and take your stand!\u003cbr\u003eYou may have lost several jobs, had trouble with the kids, suffered failures and setbacks in friendships or relationships. Now is not the time to throw in the towel. No matter how many times you’ve fallen, you can still get up. No matter how old you are, it’s never too late to turn things around.\u003cbr\u003eSome people will seize onto that hope. But then comes the tough part. Improving your life requires one fundamental choice: You must accept personal responsibility.\u003cbr\u003eThat means you must stop blaming God, nature, circumstances or other people for your lot in life. And…since we’re talking primarily about marriage…that also means NOT blaming your husband or wife.\u003cbr\u003eThis is where some people dig their heels in angrily and start declaring all the reasons why God, their husband or wife, or life in general has put them in the situation they’re in. They feel trapped and victimized, and they get very defensive when someone might dare suggest otherwise.\u003cbr\u003eIf you’re in that camp, I ask you to bear with me a few minutes longer. Give me a chance to show you how a “Me versus Life” perspective is only hurting you. If you want to rise above your adversity and circumstances, you must open your eyes, ears, and mind to whatever lessons (however personal or painful) that God wants you to learn.\u003cbr\u003eThings Happen for a Reason\u003cbr\u003eLife may seem random, but it really isn’t. Things happen for a reason. The random element is solely our personal perspective. For example, to those working high up in the World Trade Center the morning of September 11, 2001, the horrific tragedy of planes flying into their office buildings seemed random. They were taken completely by surprise. When those New York office workers were coming to work that day, not one person thought: “Hey, today could be the day that Osama bin Laden attacks us with hijacked airplanes.”\u003cbr\u003eBut “randomness” and “surprise” are merely perspectives. The terrorists who planned and executed the attack weren’t surprised when their planes crashed into the buildings. To them, the attack wasn’t “random.” It was intentional and orchestrated.\u003cbr\u003eLet’s take nature. While no terrorist organization planned or orchestrated Hurricane Katrina, climate forces did. Any meteorologist can explain how nature came together to form the elements that unleashed Katrina’s destructive fury on the innocent people of Louisiana and Mississippi. From the perspective of the family living in downtown New Orleans, Katrina was “random.” From nature’s perspective, however, there was a clear, scientific explanation.\u003cbr\u003eAs I write this e-book, Wilmington, Ohio (the town in which I currently live) is facing serious economic hardship, with thousands of area residents out of work! The\u003cbr\u003emain (though not exclusive) cause was the decision made by its major employer to shutter operations and lay off over 6,000 people – a devastating move in a county of only 40,000 people!\u003cbr\u003eWas it random?\u003cbr\u003eFrom the perspective of those victimized by layoffs, it’s a surprise, to be sure. But there were economic forces and human decisions that influenced and dete","brand":"Tea Time eBooks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47083321753840,"sku":"2940013908932","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013908932_p0.jpg?v=1763597026","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013908932","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}