Today’s message is from Bob, who was a prodigal who returned home and was remarried to me for an additional 23 years before the Lord took him home to Heaven. Bob wrote 19 books from the prodigal’s perspective for more than two decades after our divorce and remarriage. – Charlyne
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20
After sitting before the computer and typing for quite a stretch, I needed a break, so I walked to our living room. A new home is being constructed next to us, and we have been following the progress. Today plumbers are working there.
I observed one plumber standing behind his truck. As he began to walk, I noticed the man was so crippled that he could barely walk. Carefully and deliberately, he would place one foot in front of the other, advancing only a few inches at a time.
I admired the man for being so crippled yet attempting to work in our eighty-degree weather. Certainly, he must lead a difficult life. A moment later, as that plumber made his way in my direction, I noticed that he had copper tubing unrolled in his path. He had been slowly and deliberately walking on the uncoiled tubing to straighten it out before being used in the construction.
Satan, the enemy of the family, does his best to make things appear not as they are, for the sake of bringing strife and misunderstanding between the couple. At no time does the evil one bring about more circumstances that are 180 degrees from what is true than during every step of the restoration process.
Always remember that God is greater, regardless of the deception Satan attempts to parade before you tempting you that restoration is too hard.
One Saturday morning before 9 A.M. after we were divorced, I called Charlyne about picking up the kids. A man answered our home phone with, “Charlyne’s home.” The conversation that followed demonstrated the enemy at work at his best.
“Who is this?”
“Charlyne’s friend.”
“May I speak to my wife?”
(Isn’t it strange that we were divorced, and I wanted nothing to do with Charlyne, but at the first hint of there being another man in her life, suddenly she was “my wife?”)
“She is not available for the phone,” the unknown man replied.
“Who is this?” I asked.
“Charlyne’s friend,” was the only identification the man would offer.
Somewhere along the way, I began to envision my wife doing what I had been doing. Satan must have delighted in my war of words with my wife that afternoon.
It turned out the man was a church friend whose voice I did not recognize. He and his family had come to our home that Saturday to help Charlyne with some minor repairs. His wife and Charlyne had gone out for supplies, and the man had innocently answered the ringing phone.
Jealousy is never an effective tool in marriage restoration. Satan is going to misrepresent every situation that he can. The enemy does not need any of us to help him.
During the restoration process of your marriage, please remember not to allow Satan to do your thinking for you. Before you pass judgment on either a crippled plumber or your spouse’s intentions, may you take time to determine if things are really like they seem. There is a really good chance that you will find they are not.
As an aside, the plumber straightening out the copper tubing reminded me of marriage restoration. If that man had not moved carefully, the tubing could have been kinked and unusable. If he had stepped too hard on the tubing, it would have become useless. From what I witnessed, he knew just where to step and how to get the desired results. Had I tried that, the only winner would have been the recycling guy.
The tubing in your situation is called trouble. God can straighten it out by His directing your every step so that it will again carry not lament, but love throughout your home.
Enjoy the restoration process, one step at a time!
Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. Proverbs 10:12
God bless,
