Darlene Schacht is host of 'In Other Words' this week. Go to her site to see a list of women who are expounding on this awesome quote!

"One of the secrets to a happy marriage is remembering the source of our joy, which is not one another. The source of our joy is the Lord. Yes, we share tons of joyous moments, but we don't expect, let alone demand, endless joy-filled moments from each other. "
~ Liz Curtis Higgs ~
from the devotional: Rise and Shine

The young girls in my life are sick of hearing me say to them, "Desperation is so unattractive." However, I don't imagine I'll quit harping on that point any time soon because in this generation more than any other, we have young women who are obsessed with toxic relationships.

It is a given in today's culture where fathers are often not a part of the family unit that girls will search for this kind of affection and accept it wherever they can find it. Frighteningly, there are those who will prey on these vulnerable ones. So begins the cycle of sexual sin and shame that will become a tool of Satan to haunt a girl the rest of her life. God intended for intimacy to last forever and when it doesn't, you have a baby girl who is lost and left searching for yet another source. Only God can put His foot in this revolving door of relationship, but moms, hear me well. We have the opportunity to stop it before it begins.

More than any burden I have for my own daughter is that I do this thing of healthy relationship well. I can be emotionally and spiritually whole in Jesus Christ in such a way as to model completeness in my relationship with Him. When we are filled with Christ, we do not have to be needy in relationships with others. Do I need my husband and family? Of course. Friends? You betcha. But am I going to fall apart if they do not meet my every expectation? No, ma'am. They can not meet mine. I can't meet theirs and I've learned, it's okay. There was only One who came to meet my needs, and it isn't Y-O-U!

Jesus said in John 4:13, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." He is speaking of salvation but I believe we can also draw the conclusion that the life He gives fills every needy place to capacity. There is no thirst where the water flows freely.

Healthy moms + Healthy daughters = Healthy marriages. It's that simple yet the most daunting of challenges. Let's get this one right, girls. Thankfully, we are not alone in the task. "Our soul waits for the Lord, He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You." Psalm 33:20-22