Bob & Charlyne's Blog - from the heart of a restored marriage

One of the joys of living in South Florida is having flowers in our yard year around. Down our way pipes may not freeze, but they do still break.

We recently had a plumbing problem at home. During the past week our plumber has done a moderate amount of digging in our front yard. The trench had to go through our Ficus hedge and Charlyne's flower bed. The plumber easily removed the Impatiens flowers we had planted only a few weeks ago. When he got to the hedge, he dug and dug to cut through all the roots of the one plant that stood in the way. Today that plant is sitting in a bucket, waiting to go back into the ground where it will once again become part of our hedge.

Can you see an application to your marriage and to that "other person" through our plumbing problems? You are the Ficus plant with roots going deep through marriage. That other person is like one of the little plants that so easily pops out of the ground because they have such shallow roots.

Each winter Charlyne has Impatiens planted in our yard. We all know that when the hot days of summer come those plans will be gone. Right now it is the colorful Impatiens that seem to be getting all the attention, but when thing heat up, it will be the well rooted Ficus that survive.

That other person in your spouse's life may be their Impatiens right now, but if you do not become impatient with all that is happening, there will come a day when your well rooted marriage, like the Ficus, will survive.

Today you may feel like our lone Ficus bush, sitting in a bucket, off by itself. But remember, there is a mighty big hole in our hedge where that plants belongs, just as there is a mighty big hole in the home where you belong. May you bloom where God has you planted right now, until His work is completed and you and your spouse are both replanted at home.

One afternoon last week Charlyne had gone with me to a late doctor's appointment. As often happens, my doctor was running extremely late.

The patient before us was an elderly lady on a walker who was accompanied by her son. It was almost 5 P.M. when they were checking out. Just as they reached the office door, a secretary came running after them. Apparently the man had paid in cash and had given her $20 too much. She had come out to return the extra $20 bill.

The employee, the patient and her son had stopped in the doorway to discuss the money. While the employee was showing the man the money he had handed her, he thanked her for being honest and asked her to divide the $20 with three co-workers visible in the front of that office. Before anything else could be said, 5 P.M. arrived and the three co-workers pushed their way past the patient and his mother standing in the doorway. They were in such a rush to get out of work they almost went over the patient.

My wife and I saw quite a contrast. On one hand, an honest employee literally chased down a patient and her son to return a cash overpayment. We also saw three employees so anxious to leave work they had to inconvenience a patient who shuffled on a walker. None of the three employees knew that man had just given each of them five dollars a few seconds prior.

After watching that scenario I had to ask myself if I ever got in such a hurry to do things my way that I missed a blessing the Lord had for me. I suspect that at some time all of us have been guilty of something like that.

Charlyne and I pray that you will not get in such a hurry for your marriage restoration that you can't take time for what God puts in the doorway of your life. He gives every one of us blessings as well as opportunities to minister to others when we slow down and do things His way.

Had those three employees been patient for half a minute, instead of pushing their way through the door, they would have left for the day with five dollars in their pockets and feeling good both about an honest co-worker and about a patient's family who rewarded that honesty. May you and I learn to be patient as we wait on God.