Job 2:9-10 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die. But he said unto her. Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall not we receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Ah Friends, Job surely was a man of integrity. Imagine all his misfortune nuh, then to top it off, his wife telling him to ‘curse God and die.’ Hn! Who needs spouses like that eh? Spouses are supposed to be empathetic, understanding and positively encouraging, not trying to drive one more nail into our coffins. Many of us are undergoing adversity for which there seems to be no good reason; we’re dwelling in faith, doing our best to be obedient, but yet the enemy is constantly knocking on our door, and we simply can’t understand why. But take heart people, for He who promised is faithful, and won’t let us undergo trials for no good purpose. Whatever affliction He allows us to experience, He will use for our good in some way. Remember He created the master plan, and has total control. Few of us possess Job’s fortitude and wisdom, so in times of unbelievable hardship, our faith will tend to waiver, and the enemy is always on the prowl, ready to jump into any chink in our armour and buffet us with even more negative vibrations than usual. But Friends, that’s exactly when we need to stand strong. Sometimes it’s the Lord’s way of testing to see if we’re ready for promotion to the next level of success, ready for greater responsibility. I’m talking from personal experience here, because, in my naivety, I once asked the Lord to give me the patience of Job. Hn! Since then, He’s surely been trying my patience. (smile) I belatedly realized, that patience can’t be given or granted; it must be earned, and only through trials and tribulation. Sometimes, like cream, I rise to the top, at others, I fail miserably; like a few days ago when I abused the phone. But I never follow Job’s wife suggestion; curse God, though it can be tempting at times. As Job reasoned, the world is finely balanced, for every positive there’s a negative, so if we receive good, we must expect to receive bad too, hopefully much less. I know that doesn’t help when we’re undergoing constant trials, but we have to learn to grin and bear it. And Friends, most importantly, we also have to learn to support our spouses in crises. That’s why God created them; so we’d have an earthly partner to lean on, to help, to talk things over with. Jesus emphasized, that a house divided, cannot stand. It’s precisely what we’re creating when we ridicule, brush aside or denigrate our spouse’s feelings or concerns. We won’t always agree, or attach the same importance to everything, but there’s no reason to treat their misgivings with disdain or contempt, simply because we don’t see eye to eye. It’s unacceptable treatment. Friends, downplaying or disrespecting our partner’s concerns is a sure way to poison the relationship, and possibly the most difficult problem to rectify, since we’re beating down their psyche, trampling on their self confidence, making them feel unimportant and of no account. A constant dose of that eventually wrecks their whole self image. And note carefully, it also negatively affects the person doing it, and eventually, the relationship. Friends, no one’s perfect, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but we all need someone by our sides, whom we can trust to not shower us with negative criticism but listen to and empathize with us. Isn’t that why we chose those partners in the first place? So please, let’s be less critical of our spouses when they’re undergoing rough times, and instead help them to stand strong. It will benefit the relationship and all therein. Much LOVE!…our spousal role also includes…understanding…encouragement…and empathy…
Ah Friends, Job surely was a man of integrity. Imagine all his misfortune nuh, then to top it off, his wife telling him to ‘curse God and die.’ Hn! Who needs spouses like that eh? Spouses are supposed to be empathetic, understanding and positively encouraging, not trying to drive one more nail into our coffins. Many of us are undergoing adversity for which there seems to be no good reason; we’re dwelling in faith, doing our best to be obedient, but yet the enemy is constantly knocking on our door, and we simply can’t understand why. But take heart people, for He who promised is faithful, and won’t let us undergo trials for no good purpose. Whatever affliction He allows us to experience, He will use for our good in some way. Remember He created the master plan, and has total control. Few of us possess Job’s fortitude and wisdom, so in times of unbelievable hardship, our faith will tend to waiver, and the enemy is always on the prowl, ready to jump into any chink in our armour and buffet us with even more negative vibrations than usual. But Friends, that’s exactly when we need to stand strong. Sometimes it’s the Lord’s way of testing to see if we’re ready for promotion to the next level of success, ready for greater responsibility. I’m talking from personal experience here, because, in my naivety, I once asked the Lord to give me the patience of Job. Hn! Since then, He’s surely been trying my patience. (smile) I belatedly realized, that patience can’t be given or granted; it must be earned, and only through trials and tribulation. Sometimes, like cream, I rise to the top, at others, I fail miserably; like a few days ago when I abused the phone. But I never follow Job’s wife suggestion; curse God, though it can be tempting at times. As Job reasoned, the world is finely balanced, for every positive there’s a negative, so if we receive good, we must expect to receive bad too, hopefully much less. I know that doesn’t help when we’re undergoing constant trials, but we have to learn to grin and bear it. And Friends, most importantly, we also have to learn to support our spouses in crises. That’s why God created them; so we’d have an earthly partner to lean on, to help, to talk things over with. Jesus emphasized, that a house divided, cannot stand. It’s precisely what we’re creating when we ridicule, brush aside or denigrate our spouse’s feelings or concerns. We won’t always agree, or attach the same importance to everything, but there’s no reason to treat their misgivings with disdain or contempt, simply because we don’t see eye to eye. It’s unacceptable treatment. Friends, downplaying or disrespecting our partner’s concerns is a sure way to poison the relationship, and possibly the most difficult problem to rectify, since we’re beating down their psyche, trampling on their self confidence, making them feel unimportant and of no account. A constant dose of that eventually wrecks their whole self image. And note carefully, it also negatively affects the person doing it, and eventually, the relationship. Friends, no one’s perfect, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but we all need someone by our sides, whom we can trust to not shower us with negative criticism but listen to and empathize with us. Isn’t that why we chose those partners in the first place? So please, let’s be less critical of our spouses when they’re undergoing rough times, and instead help them to stand strong. It will benefit the relationship and all therein. Much LOVE!…our spousal role also includes…understanding…encouragement…and empathy…
SCRIP-BITS 