Today I found myself in a pastoral situation (and it wasn’t about spousal abuse) where I just didn’t know what to say. Tears were flowing; wisdom was needed. But I was short on answers.
The pastoral situation I faced today was probably why I found the below post from Amy Scott a blessing. Different circumstances were involved. Still, I was reminded how much wisdom is needed in the body of Christ if one is going to be truly compassionate.
The only other thing I’ll say before giving a couple of paragraphs is that the blog I most often find myself reading aloud to my wife is Amy’s Humble Musings.
In this case, the badly behaving husband told his wife of 25 years and the mother of his 7 children, that he could’ve done better and should’ve married a better woman. He said that she was lucky he chose her, because, back in the day, he could’ve gotten someone better.
She, of course, was undone. Spent.
I praise God for lovely women who offered sweet words of encouragement to her, because all I wanted to do was karate kick that jerk in the teeth . . . .
Sometimes I wonder if we need a filter instead of just hearing a key word and pouncing. I’ve noticed that women can hear a key phrase –like, “my husband can’t…” or “my husband’s doesn’t …” and then a Bible verse about submission, love, and world peace spontaneously combusts out of their mouth without any context or compassion.
It’s like trying to put a crumpled dollar bill in the change machine. As soon as you put it in, it’s spits back at you without trying to see the real value of what you’re sliding into the machine. It doesn’t think or analyze. Just ….BUZZZZZZ. Wait. Husband talk? BUZZZZZZ.
Read the entire post here.
Thanks Chris, for linking this.