For Better or …
Theme of the Week: Delivering the Goods
Gordon MacDonald
Friday, February 6, 2004
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Key Bible Verse: Once you have voluntarily made a vow, be careful to do as you have said (Deuteronomy 23:23). Bonus Reading:Deuteronomy 23:21–23
Most of us thrill to tales of people who reveal great character in the crunch moment.
A man I know and highly admire was married to a woman with severe mental problems. Her illness caused her to frequently disappear for long periods. In so doing she inadvertently made my friend's life as difficult for him as anyone could imagine.
I suspect that every friend he ever had would have completely understood if he'd dissolved the marriage. But he chose not to.
Over many years, I never heard him say a negative word about his wife who, because of her sickness, made his life so harsh. He chose to dote on the good memories, the infrequent moments when things went well.
And when she disappeared for the last time, he remained faithful and hopeful. And not in an unrealistic or naïve way. He understood what he was doing. When the word came that she had been found dead, we all searched for ways to convey to this man our profound admiration and reverence for the way he'd conducted this part of his life. The word character was frequently used.
–Gordon MacDonald in When Men Think Private Thoughts
My Response: A man whose character I admire is _____, because &…
Thought to Apply: Once we assuage our conscience by calling something a "necessary evil," it begins to look more and more necessary and less and less evil.
–Sydney Harris
Adapted from When Men Think Private Thoughts (Nelson/1996) by permission.
Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click
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I thank You, Father, that You are a promise-keeping God. Give me the backbone to reflect Your character.
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