Two of a Kind
Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God through Christ has forgiven you. Eph. 4:32
I
had two precious little aunts. They were roommates in college and never lived
more than a mile apart after that. They used to sing together on the radio in
the days of the Stamps Baxter Quartet.
They were as different as chalk and cheese, but they loved each other
dearly. Lita owned a variety store for many years and had a passion for
Christian education, music and loving people. She never had children so she
borrowed everyone else’s. If you were in Dallas and needed a place to stay for
the night, the weekend, the summer or the semester, Lita’s house was always
open. Mildred was an accountant and just as passionate. She had a glass eye
because of an accident. One weekend she and Lita were staying with my
grandparents in Amarillo. I was about 7 or 8. I had gone into her bedroom to
look for something. I don’t remember what I was looking for, but I remember
what I found. THE GLASS EYE! It was sitting in a bowl on the nightstand. I
never again went in a room where she was sleeping.
When
Lita and Mildred were in their 50’s, they decided to help take care of a
widower at their church. Mildred thought he would be a great match for Lita and
did her best to arrange it. Unfortunately, Lita had been left at the altar when
she was 18 and wasn’t interested in being matched again. Despite Mildred’s best
efforts, Claude fell in love with her and not Lita. They were married 19 years
before he died.
Too
much togetherness brings trouble. Lita and Mildred would come to Austin for
Thanksgiving. They often got lost and would come in fussing at each other about
whose fault it was. There was one surefire way to stop any argument between
them. Someone would say, “Come on. Let’s hear you two sing.” They would put
their arms around each other and by the end of the song they had forgotten they
were ever mad. How much we can learn from them.
It is easy for us
to get offended. It may be something as simple as arguing over whose fault it
is that we got lost. Offenses and fights start with the littlest things. Unfortunately, if we have not learned the
secret of forgiveness, we can let them fester and grow into disagreements that
sever relationships. How many arguments do you have with your family members
that you later realized were silly? Two that stand out in my family were about
leaving twist ties off of the bread bag and cutting butter off at a 45 degree
angle instead of straight. It is
unfortunately easier to get offended and upset by someone you love because you
care about what they think. If a
stranger took me to task about twist ties I would just think they had gone
round the bend. It is not just
individuals that are at risk either. I have known of churches that split
because of disagreements over the color of the carpet installed or which
songbook was the “right” one. Knowing
how vital fellowship is to our spiritual survival, how sad that it is so often
broken over trivial issues. The enemy
uses strife and dissension to his great advantage. If we are busy fighting each other, we don’t
have the energy left to fight him. As we see in Ephesians 4:32, we need to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “If you are bringing your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift at the altar and go be reconciled.” The book of Proverbs is full of advice on dealing with resentment and strife, including Prov. 17:1, which says, “Better is a crust of bread with contentment than great feasting with strife.” Since there are so many verses about this issue, God knew that it is a big issue for us. The secret that Lita and Mildred found was the idea that God, through Christ, has forgiven us. That makes all the difference in being able to forgive each other. Sometimes I can picture Jesus walking up to them in heaven, putting His arms around them and saying, “Come on! Let’s hear you two sing.”
Tribute
My heart is heavy with the loss of one that I held dear,
One that I could laugh with and also shed a tear.
He said I was God's precious child and I shoul never fear
And though he's gone I know that this one thing is clear
His voice that had been silent is lifted up in praise
With all the saints and angels, a glorious song they raise
On legs, now strong and whole again he's walking streets of gold
Clear eyes are filled with wonders which here cannot be told.
God captured him with stubborn love and saved him by His grace
And now he can at last see his saviour face to face
He would not want my heart to break but rather look ahead
To that day I will join him and my loved ones, alive, not dead.
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