Devotioanl for 1/19/12

The Story of Mike

 

Some people just rub you the wrong way and we call them sandpaper people.  Some, on the other hand, go beyond sandpaper.  They're more like a thorn in your side, or worse, an intruder in your life.  Of course, we're to be Jesus to the world, but some places in our lives are sacred. 

 

Mike was a good man, but due to circumstances, he did not have a family to call his own.  So, he made his best friend's family his.  They loved and cared for him, but what Mike did not realize was that he was tresspassing on sacred ground, his friend's marriage. 

 

Mike's friend enjoyed his company.  The two of them mean't no harm to the family and definitely not to Linda, the woman of the house.  Good manners calls for the door to be open to friends at all times.  It's just expected that the friend will not overstay his welcome.  Years and years of Mike encroaching on this couple's time caused much animosity.  Linda did her best to not allow her feelings to turn to hate despite the raging battle inside of her.  It was a miracle the marriage did not end.

 

Over time, and after many heartbreaking fights, enough people interceded and Mike finally got the message.  No one's heart would ever be the same over the matter.  The marriage never ended, the family stayed intact, but the three would forever look back on those years with regret, always wondering how they could have handled it differently. 

 

Only one of these three was a Christian, Linda.  Though she knew it was wrong for someone to intrude, and she knew it was wrong for a man to allow it, she never quite felt sure of what God expected of her. Was she just supposed to sit back and allow it happen for the sake of being a witness?  In a situation like this, what exactly does it look like to be Jesus to the other person?  Her intense questioning would grow inside of her until it reached its peak when Mike was diagnosed with brain cancer a few years later and passed from this life. 

 

The truth is, regardless of any mistakes the three of them made, Mike did have a serrogate family before he got sick. Many people had prayed for Mike durng those years for his salvation.  God's hand truly covered the situation.  He showed Mike His love through the love in the marriage that he witnessed and in the love that this family had for him.  Though on his deathbed, Mike never received the Lord, God did not leave him without a witness.  This may have a sad ending, but the lessons learned are priceless.  They are as priceless as a pearl. 

 

 

The Irritant

 

The irritant slipped somehow into the shell.

It came uninvited.

The oyster began its work almost immediately

the wrong to be righted.

 

The irritant was enveloped day after day,

the new shape taking place.

The oyster did not hurry its task,

it was not in a race.

 

The end result

was a wonder to behold.

The pearl gleamed white when it was found,

the price was high when sold.

 

The irritant came to my house one day...

my inclination, to run away.

I was checked at once to stay.

 

 

God's love began to envelop the irritant

each time that it came by.

The cost was great, death to self,

again the price was high.

 

 

We will never forget Mike, nor the lessons this family learned.  I praise God that we had the opportunity to know him, to love him, and to be a witness to him. My mother, Linda, was an example to us all.  In our humaness, we'll battle with anger and frustration over injustices in our lives, like an invader in our marriage.  Some situations are just too complicated to handle on our own.  God always has a plan, and we can always go to Him when it's beyond our ability to handle.  He'll give us the strength and power to envelop the irritant with His love.

 

Amie Spruiell 1-19-12

poem "The Irritant" written by Linda Garrett