August 16 If You Please Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. Romans 15:2 I’ll never forget one particularly hectic period in our family’s life when my schedule had gotten so busy that I didn’t feel like I had time to even change a light bulb. The stress of keeping it all going was occupying just about every waking moment of the week, and our house was really beginning to suffer for it. Specifically, our garage. I don’t how many times I’d go in there, wishing for just one good Saturday with half my brain cells functioning to do nothing but straighten up and thin down. The entire family used it like a toxic dumping ground. The kids had been hauling stuff in there left and right—even trash that the neighbors were throwing away! (Don’t get me started. You don’t want to know.) But one day during this stretch of time, I came home late in the afternoon and as I pulled up to the garage, the door was standing wide open, and everything inside was clean and organized! I did a quick double-check on the house number to be sure I hadn’t turned up the wrong driveway by mistake. But sure enough: It was our house and our stuff. Barbara had known how heavily this undone task had been weighing on my shoulders, and she had marshaled the troops to get out there and “Do the deed for Dad.” Wow, it felt good. But not just to have a garage I could squeeze the car into again. Not just because I finally knew where some of my long-lost tools were. It felt good because I had a wife who knew what was bothering me and took it upon herself to take that load off my mind. Marriage is about having someone to please and having someone to please you. It’s knowing that when you’ve had a bad day, someone’s there who really cares. Does your mate have a “garage” that needs your help? Discuss What’s a particular weight or concern that your spouse is carrying around that you could relieve? Pray Ask God to make you sensitive to your mate’s needs and to show you opportunities to fulfill them. Excerpted from Moments With You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Copyright ® 2011 Dennis and Barbara Rainey.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 09:16:54 +0000
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