As we’ve done many times before on this page, it’s our pleasure to offer you another thoughtful message from the pen of Reverend Mark Adams, the Senior Pastor of Redland Baptist Church in Rockville, Maryland:
Steve May tells the story of a concerned husband who went to see the family doctor and said, “I think my wife has a hearing problem. I often have to repeat things several times before she hears me.” The doctor said, “When you go home tonight, stand about 15 feet behind her and say something. If she doesn’t reply, move about five feet closer and say it again. Keep doing this so we can get an idea of the severity of her problem.”
That evening, when his wife was in the kitchen chopping vegetables, the husband did as the doctor advised and stood 15 feet behind her as he said, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” He heard no response, so he moved five feet closer and asked again. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Again, he heard no reply so he moved five feet closer, tried again, and still got no reply. Finally, in desperation, he moved directly behind her and said it again. At this point his wife turned around and said, “FOR THE FOURTH TIME, VEGETABLE STEW!”
Many times we assume our problems are the fault of others, when in reality, we are to blame. We think we aren’t being heard when it’s the other way around.
Unfortunately, this problem with wrongfully assigning blame is not only found in our relationships with other people. We treat God the same way. Solomon refers to this in Proverbs 19:3 when he says, “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” I’m reminded of the airline pilot who ignored established pre-flight procedures and failed to check in with the tower prior to take off. As a result of this foolish behavior, he turned on to a runway that was too short for that airliner. The plane crashed on take-off and hundreds were killed. The pilot survived with serious injuries and when he came out of his comma he asked, “Why did God do this to me?”
This kind of behavior is, of course, not only foolish … it’s sinful and it gets us nowhere.
Try this exercise: Make a list, mental or written, of the difficulties you are experiencing due to someone else. Maybe your spouse doesn’t hear you, or worse, doesn’t listen to you; maybe your children don’t obey you; maybe your boss doesn’t appreciate you. Make a quick list … and then give some thought as to what you can do, what changes you need to make, to improve the situation.
Take it one step further: Think about what’s not working in your spiritual life right now. Do you feel that God has abandoned you? Does it seem as if your prayers get no higher than the ceiling? Before you allow your heart to rage at the Lord, think about what you should do to change the situation. Is there a sin you need to repent of? Are you ignoring God’s clear guidance in some situation? Is your own folly the problem?
© 2012 Mark Adams
If you have an interest in reading some of Pastor Adams’s sermons, you’ll find them available on the Redland Baptist Church website.
To think about . . .
From the 1940 movie, The Great Dictator, actor Charlie Chaplin, playing the role of a fictitious dictator, made a speech that included this message:
Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
Let there be peace on earth … and let it begin with me!
