He can put on his own clean pillowcases, I fumed, wrestling to shove my own bulging, queen-sized pillow into its scarlet case. Then I hurled two cases down—on his side of the bed.
“For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20b).
But.. I’ve done his laundry week after week, month after month, year after year. I made the bed. He can put on two pillowcases.
“And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21).
But… his words hurt me and I’m angry—very, very angry.
“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6).
I guess I’ll put one pillowcase on. He can do the other one.
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26).
What he said was actually right, even if he didn’t say it the most sensitively, I reflected, shaking the second pillow down.
“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Talk is cheap. Putting on pillowcases is not.
That little dialogue between the Holy Spirit and fleshly me was just winding down when Jim came to bed.
“G’night Hon. Love you.”
I didn’t mention my bedroom battle or how the Spirit KO’d my sulking flesh. But now you know, all glory to God, how love won this pillow fight.
How might you talk back to yourself with God’s words today as you fight “the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:2a)?
4 comments
Thank you for sharing! I’ve had many conversations like this with myself. Usually while fuming in the shower. I’m always so grateful that the Holy Spirit leads me to get my heart right before my mouth does any damage!
Thanks so much, Colleen. Yes, the Holy Spirit works on me in the shower quite often too. He helps us keep fighting this good fight of faith, “expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:6),
I can relate with that . We are like onions in that each part is a small thin piece being taken away as we grow .
Thank you, Lorrie. YES! I love that analogy, layers of onion being peeled and peeled. But unlike the onion, you are so right, our peeling means GROWTH.