Charity

10:16 AM Sarah 0 Comments

"When I come to my evening prayers and try to reckon up the sins of the day, nine times out of ten the most obvious one is some sin against charity;  I have sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed.  And the excuse that immediately springs to my mind is that the provocation was so sudden and unexpected: I was caught off my guard...[Yet] surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is is the best evidence for what sort of man he is.  Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth.  If there are rats in the cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly.  But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding.  In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me and ill-tempered man: it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.  The rats are always there in the cellar but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light.  Apparently the rats of resentment and vindictiveness are always there in the cellar of my soul." - C.S. Lewis

This quote really had me thinking about my start-ups this week.  What do they say about me?  How do I behave when I am "caught off my guard"?  I would like to think that I am kind and understanding, but I know full well that that is not often t he truth.  This behavior is in such stark contrast to the behavior of the Savior and the way He asks us to behave.  It makes me realize just how much we need His help.  We need to pray daily for Him to bless us with strength and understanding in our marriages. 

Like C.S. Lewis, we must take responsibility for our actions-irregardless of provocation, and come to the Lord with a broken heart that is open enough to accept the help and understanding He offers us. 

I believe that marriage is ordained of God.  I believe that He wants us to succeed and have peace and joy in our marriages.  He stands waiting and willing to provide us with guidance to achieve it.