Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 11/25/2020

A great GOOD MORNING BEFORE THANKSGIVING DAY to all my friends and neighbors out there in Internet Land! And, to family members who have dropped by, the feast will be prepared. 

Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda,
Is one who sings songs to a troubled heart.
Proverbs 25:20, NASB

Shocking wisdom! Utterly contrary to popular culture, for the VAST majority of my life.

In approximate order, the wisdom of my age is:

Make love, not war.
Give peace a chance.
Everybody get together, try to love one another.
Have a nice day.
Have a Coke and a smile!
I’m okay, you’re okay.
Don’t worry, be happy.

Movies and TV programs condensed great tales of loss and passion into a few moments, so that the hero could love, lose, and love again, presented in bite-sized chunks interposed between Words From Our Sponsor. 

In reaction to the clich̩ of years spent in psychoanalysis, pop psychology emerged. It popped. A few decades later , insurance companies clamped down on mental health benefits. Counselors in training were prepared for Brief Therapy, intended to run no more than 4 Р6 sessions. Consider it as drive-through food for the heart and soul.

 Solomon says: Nope.

A troubled heart needs time; it doesn’t need to be cheered up. 
The first, best thing Job’s friends did: they sat in silence with him, seven days and nights. (Job 3:13)

I know of two (bad) reasons that people try to cheer up the grieving:

1. They don’t know WHAT to do.
2. The other’s grief makes them uncomfortable.

So, they sing songs to the troubled heart, and say, ”Cheer up!”

Don’t do that; just be silent and available. You WILL be needed. Later.


Peace be on your household.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 06-21-2023

Image
A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the Fairmount Pattersons are Papa-sitting this morning! It is better to live in a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. Proverbs 21:9, NASB Today is the 21st of the month; so, Proverbs 21. I have written about verses 1-8;  it’s verse 9’s turn. Thus, my selection of this verse has NOTHING to do with my wife, mother, sisters, or daughters! All of them are intelligent, confident, and assertive; they are NOT contentious. ‘Contentious’ does NOT mean ‘has a different opinion’!  A man who has lived with a contentious woman gives the definition by example: I was 20 years old, and stupid (those might be the same thing).  I thought our marriage would work because she was beautiful, and I was, too. It didn’t take long before I realized I was wrong about that. Most of the time, it didn’t matter what I did; I couldn’t please her. We were married for 3 years,
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Sunday, 08-20-2023

Image
A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Piper doesn’t like her food. Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are abominable to the Lord. Proverbs 20:10, NASB If this verse weren’t so important, I’d skip it, because I discovered it in a painful time. Others were involved, and their stories are not mine to tell. So, you get a parable: Stockman Bubba ran a cattle station, in partnership with his horse, Nancy. They worked hard together, and although they were not rich, they had achieved a degree of success. One day, a platypus stung Bubba, incapacitating him. Bubba tried to continue running the station, but after two years had passed, he realized it was time to retire. Nancy couldn’t adjust to this, and she left for life on her own. Three years later, Bubba realized Nancy was never coming back, and considered getting another horse. However, he was concerned that the other station owners would think bad
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Sunday, 07-23-2023

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, reach for the sky. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18, NASB Today’s verse is 18, but I included 17, because I THINK they are a couplet. I wrote about verse 17 last month, and will try not to repeat myself. Our senses describe the present, our memory describes the past; the future is described by our hopes and our fears. In this little verse, we are given one of the strongest foundations for peace: yes, you DO have a future, and it’s a good one. Under most circumstances, we take the future for granted. If you have ever been forced to doubt that a future exists, you know how chilling that is. ‘No future’ is MUCH worse than ‘bad future.’ This verse draws us back away from the abyss of nothingness, and back into reality: yes, you DO have a future.  (If that
Read more