My granny said more than once that a young bride just might be “jumping from the frying pan into the fire?”
Married at the ripe old age of twenty-six, I thought I knew what I was doing. Greg was heaven-sent, and our home was going to glorify God on a daily basis.
Each evening, I prepared supper for my handsome groom, since his coaching job required that he spend longer days than mine outside of the regular classroom. One evening early in our marriage, I set the table just as my Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Burris, had modeled for me: the knife and spoon on the right side of the plate and the fork on the left.
As I lay the fork next to his plate, I noticed an unusual configuration. How could that be? Our lovely red flatware was a wedding gift, and I knew not one of those forks was supposed to have tines like a corkscrew.
After the hot food was placed on the table and we gave thanks, I asked my husband if he had any idea what was wrong with our new fork. His face, turning a similar shade of red, got a quirky smile as he explained, “I bet that happened when I picked the bubble gum off the bottom of my coaching shoes last night.”
No, I didn’t smack him upside the head with the frying pan. I took a long gulp of my ice water and did just what my granny always said. I thanked God for the loving man I had beside me, even if I did have to teach him the difference between utensils and tools.
We all have faults, and Paul instructs us to forgive others even as Christ has forgiven us.
Sometimes, those with faults are a spouse, a neighbor, or someone we work with. With God’s help, we can be kind and compassionate, just as Jesus has shown each of us His lovingkindness and forgiveness.
Who can you be kind to today?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Jody Holbert is a graduate of Kentucky Christian University and Morehead State. She grew up in the hills of West Virginia. She is married and has lived in Ohio for thirty-five years. She and her husband Greg are both educators. They have two grown children and two wonderful grandchildren.