Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday October 6, 2010

The response to Monday's letter was enormous and positive for the most part and I think I see a trend that could undo any good that was accomplished via the piece.

You recall I was playing off of the wedding and marriage of two Octogenarians with Henry being a widower after 60 plus years of marriage and Ruth having never married; as Christian in the old days she would have been known as an "unclaimed blessing." Here is the phrase used by Henry concerning his love for Ruth set the stage for the article and the great response:

"I love her dearly because of the way she thinks and the way she loves the Lord. We're singing off the same sheet and that's all you could want in life."

Singing off the same sheet is the point, but the statement stops short of how to get on the same sheet.

Most divorce is the result of each person being on a different sheet and having spent so much emotional, mental and even physical energy on getting the other on my sheet robs the relationship of any true harmony.

When "getting someone onto my sheet" is of utmost importance you will fail due to the internalized resentment toward you for robbing the other of their personhood, sense of value and a host of important parts of a harmonious relationship.

Being on the same sheet is essential and the only way I know to get two people or a group on the same sheet is figure how to get each person involved in something they see as bigger than themselves.

The negative part of this dynamic is observable in all walks of life, but especially so in pastor/congregation relationship and certainly husband/wife struggles.

Life will be simpler when we learn to help pastors and churches to each prayerfully burn their sheet and discover the sheet the Lord is using. The same is true for married couples and for those in love and planning a marriage.

My plan or your plan will not work long term toward a healthy situation. So if each works, prays and studies to know and submit to Christ's higher sheet; the song of the relationship will be a magnificent Sonata of praise.

Ephesians 5:25 :

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Agapao includes a direction of the will to find joy etc in the person loved. Though we humans are unlovely Christ chose to love us. We are to give the same love to our wife that Christ has for the church and the wife is give the kind of love the church will have when presented to God and the gathered throng in glory. We will be on His page then.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2010 Use with credit

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