Mark 6.1 NKJV “Then He [Jesus] went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.”
I follow Jesus. I am a disciple of Christ, but not always a very good one. Sometimes I want to lay down my cross and veer a little from the path. That’s why God gave me a great woman. He knows I mean well and, with a little help from my wife, I just might stay (nearer to) the course.
My wife is a sports fanatic. She used to subscribe to Sports Illustrated magazine and enjoyed the weekly updates on favorite teams and the mostly well written articles about athletes and their endeavors. I occasionally glanced at the magazine.
Like most guys, I am aware of the annual swimsuit edition in which beautiful women model tiny bits of fabric. I’m not sure what this has to do with sports but I am fairly convinced it boosts magazines revenues. Maybe I would take one of my “occasional glances” when the swimsuit issue came in the mail. I would be nonchalant.
My wife informed me the annual swimsuit issue had arrived.
“Oh yeah, where is it?,” feigning only casual interest.
“In the recycling. I didn’t even bring it into the house,” she replied.
“So you mean its in the red recycling box in the garage?”
“No. I mean it was picked up today and taken to the dump. It’s gone for good.”
“Good,” I said. “Darn,” I thought.
My dear wife saw this as a teaching opportunity. She explained that the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated is really soft pornography and had no business in our home. She also discovered that subscribers can ‘opt out’ of receiving the swimsuit issue and get an extra magazine at the end of their subscription. I learned that’s what we would do if we re-subscribed.
Truthfully, I probably would not have opened the magazine. God faithfully provides a way of escape with every temptation I face (1st Corinthians 10.13). By His amazing grace, I have not viewed pornography (or an SI swimsuit issue) for over a dozen years. I am acutely aware of the enormous weight that sin once carried in my life. I don’t want to go there again. However, I most certainly would have been tempted and I am glad to have a marriage partner who understands that.
I am a disciple of Jesus and I’m not alone. My wife is also one of “His disciples”. Together we “followed Him” and stayed on the path. I might have taken a detour. I certainly was not watching where I was going. The woman I married lovingly removed a small stumbling stone and helped keep me on the ‘straight and narrow’. God gave me the most beautiful woman on earth.
__________________________
The beautiful image of the ring on the Bible casting a heart-shaped shadow is by Canadian photographer Travis Parsons of Vinland Photography, Newfoundland. You can view his exceptional wedding photography at http://www.vinland-blog.com/.
No comments:
Post a Comment