"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." Matthew 5:14-15

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45-46

Monday, February 8, 2010

Cracked Eggs

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." Ephesians 4:26-27

My youngest son happens to love eggs. Most weeks he asks at least twice, if he can make eggs for breakfast. This morning was no different. But as he was putting the eggs away, the carton slipped and a couple eggs were broken and at least four were cracked. Now, he could have just put the eggs back in the refrigerator and chose not to tell me what happened. But instead, he was up front and honest about the situation.

If he had secretively placed the eggs back in the refrigerator, it wouldn't take very long before they would start to spoil and stink. This made me think about relationships, especially marriage, as we are soon approaching Valentine's Day.

In our day to day relations, we may find some times when we are hurt in a situation. Perhaps our spouse says some unkind words, or did something to hurt your feelings. We get a hairline crack in our shell. Now it may not be noticeable to anybody. Perhaps it can even be covered up with a bandage or you can try to camouflage the crack, to hide this imperfection in our relationship.

But sooner or later if untreated, this crack will continue to weaken our relationship as well as progressively get worse, developing a deeper crack. This is why the Bible stresses the importance of dealing with our relationships on a daily basis....so we do not allow anger and ill feelings to get in the way. When we allow this to happen, it opens the door for Satan to have a foothold in our hearts and in our lives. This verse is one that my husband and I have faithfully followed through the years.

As a prayer warrior for Proverbs 31 Ministry, each week I see evidence of cracks that have been left untreated, and have become huge fissures in relationships - marriages that are falling apart. I can't help but wonder, if they followed the Bible's advice of daily checking on the health status of their marriage, how different would their lives be? Do you have any cracks that you are trying to cover up?

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