Aches and Praise Four Hundred & Ninety One

February 4, 2021
 
 
Dear friends,
 
 

A brother in Christ, George Worthy, shared the following story in an email this week:

“One minister tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. ‘I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even! Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has hurt me!’

The minister suggested an ingenious plan, ‘Why don’t you go home and act as if you really love your husband? Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him. Make him believe you love him. Then — after you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, drop the bomb. Tell him you want a divorce. That will really hurt him.’

With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, ‘Beautiful, beautiful! Boy, will he ever be devastated!’ And she did it with enthusiasm. For two months she showed love and kindness, she listened, served, and reinforced. When she didn’t return to his office, the minister called. ‘So are you ready now to go through with the divorce?’ ‘Divorce?’ she exclaimed. ‘Never! I discovered that I really do love him.’”

A week ago, an emphasis on mental health in Canada, sponsored by a large communications company, brought attention to the mental health challenges that many Canadians and others face. As any married couple will attest, without proper communication, there is a greater likelihood that disagreements will become much more explosive and relationships will grow toxic more quickly than if efforts are made to understand one another.

Pastor Michel Martel recently recorded a series of messages entitled “Comment apprécier votre prochain” (“How to appreciate your neighbour”) in which he deals with this important matter of getting along with others. This week, a storm dumped a lot of snow on most of the Eastern seaboard, including Quebec. Karen and I were so thankful that our next-door neighbour, John, got out his snowblower to clear the road for us and others. We have had more talks with our neighbours in the past year due to the pandemic, as everyone has a story to share.

 If you are frustrated with restrictions due to government policies, take a deep breath and remember that there are so many other things that deserve our attention, namely reading and studying God’s Word and asking the Lord to help us to serve Him.       

Scripture for the weekend: “For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” Romans 10:11 (NKJV)

Thought for the weekend: “We never know what circumstances we will face tomorrow. But today comes before tomorrow, and that is where we must live. We cannot live tomorrow, but we can live today.” – Ray C. Stedman (from his book “Hope in a Chaotic World: First and Second Thessalonians,” published by Our Daily Bread Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI)

 

By His grace,
 

Steve


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