. . . But there is an actual, real live, honest to goodness, giveaway over at the Fortnightly Purse. For serious. After many moons of stagnancy I have finally gotten my show on the road again. For now. So toddle on over there and enter!
Monthly Archive for January, 2011
It’s one thing when you hear someone slandering someone else, but what about when you are actually the subject of the slanderous remarks?
First thought that should come to your mind is that Jesus was slandered, lied about, and falsely accused, which is what got Him arrested in the first place. We are in good company. None of us has been maligned like our own Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth. And He is still maligned to this day by atheists and other unbelievers. And at any time He could with justice strike them all down. But He is long-suffering. He loves to show mercy, and He delights to return good for evil. And at the end of the day, He will be the One to take vengeance, and we will not. That is a good thing too.
With that in mind, then I believe you must do several things. First, you thank God. (I’m not joking.) Next, you pray that God will bless the slanderer (still not joking). Then you ask God to give you the opportunity to return good for the evil. Maybe you will find them with car trouble, and you’ll be able to give them a lift. Maybe it will simply be the chance to smile and say hi.
When you do these things, you will keep your heart from bitterness and resentment. You cannot thank God and ask Him to bless someone who has wronged you without letting go of the bitterness.
If the slander has been public and everyone knows about it, then you should do these things all the more. I am not saying you should treat the offender like he is an old fishing buddy. But you should treat him or her with courtesy, not with snootiness. And do not retaliate by spreading slander yourself.
Then pray that God will vindicate you. He is good at these things. Be patient. And don’t worry about it. Consider it an opportunity to grow. And of course, if you are given the opportunity to deny the charges, march on it and do so cheerfully. But don’t let it keep you up nights. That’s what the devil wants. In contrast, God wants you to rejoice when these things happen. Listen to Him.
And if it is your children who are being slandered, then thank God that they have the opportunity to learn these lessons at such a young age. And show them how.
My husband’s Grandpa Jim Wiersma went to be with the Lord today, in the early morning. All nine of his children were able to be with him at the end, as well as several of his many grandchildren. His sweet wife of 68 years was there to hold his hand, and say goodbye.
Grandpa and Grandma Wiersma are a couple who understand homecomings. Their love for each other, and trust in God has withstood far worse separation, rejoiced over far smaller homecomings.
During the war, Grandpa Wiersma spent two years in prison camp in Austria. Grandma was at home in South Holland with their son. During that time he wrote to her, on stationary emblazoned with a swastika, of the Sovereignty of God, of hope, and of faith. When they were liberated by the Russians, he was part of march across Austria – an experience that left him with a belief in cleaning your plate.
That separation that could have been the end, proved to be just a beginning. Eight more children were born after the war, grandchildren (in abundance) followed. Heartaches, sorrows, and troubles were all born by them with a much deeper understanding than many of us have. They were very comfortable in the hand of God. In their living room was a picture, taken before many of the great-grandchildren were born, of the whole family. I remember him looking at it and saying “Isn’t that amazing? Who knows what God is going to do with that?” He was completely confident that God would do more than we could ask or think of.
This final homecoming for Grandpa Jim is sweet. His wife Kay knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that they will meet again. And she knows that when they do, real life will just be beginning.
Thank you Grandpa Jim, for your testimony, for the family you built. Thank you for the example of steadfastness, and faith in God’s plans. You have left us, and our children, with a mighty inheritance in the Lord. We will look forward to meeting you again.
If we live in this world, as it appears we all do, then it is not uncommon to run into gossip, backbiting, busy-bodying, and all the rest of this family of tongue-sins. We are a fallen race, and our mouths show it, literally. Women are certainly not alone in sins of the tongue, but Scripture singles us out in a few places, which should alert us all the more to our temptations here. For example, Timothy particularly warns young widows who have too much time on their hands. This free time can set them up to “speak things which they ought not” (1 Tim. 5:13). In the book of Titus, older (or aged) women are urged not to be false accusers (Titus 2:3-15). Deacons’ wives must not be slanderers (1 Tim. 3:11). And of course Scripture has many general exhortations to all believers about sins of the tongue.
One of the questions that often comes up is how to behave when others are gossiping or slandering in your presence. And it’s easy to spend our time on that side of the coin rather than on our own behavior. Nevertheless, we do need to know what to do when we are witnesses of backbiting, slander, and all the other ugly cousins of gossip. Do we call people aside or openly rebuke them? Should we ignore them or walk away? What does a Christian woman do? It all depends.
First, we cannot expect unbelievers to act like believers even if they wanted to. They are sinners. So don’t be shocked or surprised when unbelieving co-workers, neighbors, or relatives say ugly things. Don’t expect non-Christians to act like Christians. They can’t. When my husband joined the US Navy, he was not expecting a bastion of holiness Continue reading ‘Gossip and Its Ugly Cousins’
Two things in this short post. First, a friend sent me an email she received inviting her to a Bible study for women on how to keep your marriage healthy. And, in closing, the study leader said something like, “Can’t wait to share all my husband’s faults with you!” Now it may have been tongue in cheek. I certainly hope so. But it still sent a shiver down my spine. And along these lines, here is a fantastic article that I’d like to commend to each and every one of you readers, whether you are married or not. And God bless the author of this piece. I always appreciate a solid exhortation, and here’s one for you. Hang on to your hat!
Finally finished the knitting on this little thing last night. I say finally, because heading into this project I was underestimating the littleness of the yarn, the needles, and my own spirit of diligence. But the good news is that I finished! I had to dumb down the pattern to work for me on the sleeves, because at night (when I get a chance to knit), small yarn, dark yarn, magic loop, tiny needles, and repeating lace pattern was too much for me. I was, quite frankly, not smart enough for it. So I knit them flat and pretended that the garter stitch band under the arms is a design feature. And then I told everyone about it, so they will know the truth. But it is cute, and sort of retro, and will be just the thing to top off some sleeveless dresses from here until hot weather! The tags were a Christmas gift from my Mom, and I was so glad to use one finally. At long last out of the project bag, and onto the baby: the jellybean sweater!
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