2022-11-18
Good Morning Dear Ones,
As a counselor, all too often I’ve seen families being pulled apart by either lack of communication or very poor communication between their members. PR 21: 9 (obviously written by an unhappy husband) “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” The verse prior to it, PR 21: 8, reads, “The way of the guilty is devious but the conduct of the innocent is upright.” When one partner of a marriage becomes either quarrelsome and/or devious, there is terrible trouble in a family that can lead to divorce or even murder (in more extreme cases). This kind of chaos makes raising emotionally balanced children difficult to impossible. Marriages that have taken place for the wrong reasons—in immaturity, where time to get acquainted with each other hasn’t been taken, in response to a relationship held together only by sexual passion or under duress, for example—are unlikely to last. “Pre-Cana” counseling is a mighty good idea to ward off the misery that can be ahead for a young couple.
Let me urge you to read PR 31: 10-31 for King Lemuel’s idea of the ideal wife. These verses were from advice given to this Aramaic king, by his mother and then added to the Scriptures. Because of certain spelling in Aramaic, they suggest a non-Israelite origin and were written between 900 BC-700 BC. When you read this important passage, you will see how applicable it is in today’s world. (King Lemuel isn’t mentioned elsewhere in the Scriptures).
A chaotic life lacks peace and often love. One often has to “walk on eggshells” to keep the peace if it’s possible at all. Sometimes the chaos comes from outside normal relationships. One of the most chaotic times of my life came when I was at university. I had been studying all afternoon in the library when a campus police officer came in and announced, “Sorry about this; the library is closing. The president (John F. Kennedy) has been shot.” A wave of shock hit me from head to toe! I walked to my father’s house, since my first husband was away, having been conscripted into the Army. It was necessary for me to walk the length of a shopping center on my route. People were standing around, speaking in low voices and weeping. Once I arrived at my destination, the TV was on with news stories, repeated over and over again, of our young and viral president’s shooting at Dealy Square in Dallas, TX, and Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald. The hearts of our nation were broken! It was a horrific lesson in how people must have felt when Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater. Walter Cronkite’s announcement of the president’s death on the news that night has been stamped in my memory since 1963.
We can only imagine the hopelessness felt when a group of young women in Pakistan were kidnapped from their school and sold into prostitution and sex trafficking. At present in repressive Islamic countries, women are discouraged from getting an education and not allowed to go out without wearing a “hijab” (headscarf) or even a “burqa” [a loose outer garment worn in public, covering the body and face, incorporating a mesh panel through which the wearer can see]. Of late, one of them was arrested by the morality police in Iran and lost her life, setting off huge demonstrations all over the free world against such practices. This, Dear Readers, is chaos to the max!
One of my classes has been studying the book of Job. The premise of this book begins with God and Satan making a bet. Job was a man of great stature in reputation for his time. He was deeply faithful and highly respected when Satan bet God that he could cause Job to lose his faith. God told Satan the bet is on, where Satan could do anything he wanted, to Job, except kill him. For 37 chapters, Satan uses every power he has to make Job miserable, including long dialogues between Job’s judgmental friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. That wasn’t all; a young man, full of himself, Elihu, also chimes into the conversation. Job’s pain is exquisite and yet, he never stops believing in God. Finally, in JOB 38, God speaks and by JOB 42, things are put to rights and the devil loses the bet. This story like the others mentioned here is an example of chaos that mankind endures. 1 COR 10: 13, is revealing in its wording. “No temptation has overcome you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide you with a way out so that you can endure it.” What, or should I say, Who is our way out? It is faith in Jesus Christ! Praise and thanks be to Him!
PRAYER: O Lord, Your Spirit has given me examples of chaos to share with the idea of generating thought about our own experiences with it You prepare us to consider how peace and joy can came out of such chaotic events. Your kindness and fairness will be seen by what transpires and the strength of our own faith in You. In the meanwhile, the perspective 1 COR 10: 13 gives us, helps us to see past such trouble in our lives. You teach us and strengthen our faith, as we learn to turn to You first and depend on You. JN 15: 5 reminds us of what our relationship to You should be. “I am the Vine and you are the branches. If You remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” We are grateful for the grace You give us, for making Your wisdom available to us through Christ, and for always looking to serve our best eternal interests. We pray in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We must always be aware that 1 PET 5:8 -9 is true. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Next week, at the behest of the Holy Spirit, we continue to look at ways chaos can be changed to peace and joy. There are so many forms that chaos takes. However, we must not forget EPH 2: 8-10, which reveals one of the most treasured gifts our God gives us and His plans for us. Ask yourself, “Am I a part of God’s plans?” Do take the time to delve into the status of my own faith and the life I am leading, regularly?” This author is no different than anyone else. I too must look to the Scriptures to get God’s perspective on chaos, what to do about it, and the attitude IL should have. Maybe that’s why the Holy Spirit speaks to me to remind me to share what He gives me. In any event, we can all know that we can and should depend on Him! Blessed be His name!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2022. All Rights Reserved.
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