May 2, 2022 – Click here to listen
I had a great dream last night about a tremendously talented guy who could really play the guitar. He was giving me lessons and I was greatly improving within minutes of meeting him. I asked him where he lived and he told me, and something went off in my head that I know this guy. I asked him his name and it just confirmed that I knew him. I asked him what he did for a living as this would be the final confirmation that he was indeed the person that I had in mind.
Before he could answer, I was rudely awakened by a shrieking noise and then sobbing. My wife was crying and weeping and making such a commotion that it woke me up. I shook her a couple of times and woke her up, and it turned out that she was having a bad dream about her father who had passed away some time back. She sobbed like she was at a funeral for a good ten minutes after I woke her up. I told her, “For crying out loud, it’s just a dream, go back to sleep already”. Finally, the sobs began to ebb, and she settled back down. This annoyed me to no end because I really wanted to continue my dream about the musician and find out if the guy was indeed the person that I knew, but I could not resume my dream, nor could I even go back to sleep.
In the meantime, my wife had gone back to sleep and was sawing logs again and sleeping like a baby. I thought to myself that I was not going to allow her to get away with that, so I woke her up. That did not go over too well, and in retrospect might not have been all that bright, as she is in a very foul mood at this very moment. The only positive about this situation is that she grudgingly got up and went and made coffee; however, she is sullen and staring out at the ocean and making no secret that she is in a foul mood. She will not be a happy camper all day and I will incur her sulking wrath all day and probably into the night. Sigh . . .
I watched a special last night about a young man who recruited his friends to murder his family. He was convicted and sentenced to die for his terrible crime. The district attorney said he was a sociopath, who is someone without a conscience who knows that something is wrong but does it with impunity anyway and then he went on to say, “He’s just a mean S.O.B.” Ironically when I was in the military, I was always in very serious trouble and spent numerous days in the stockade and ultimately was discharged because of it by a panel of psychiatrists who met with me at length and after thoroughly examining me came to the conclusion that I was a sociopath and unfit for military service.
Since those terrible days in my life, I have been transformed by Jesus Christ into someone of character and integrity; however, in thinking about my unkind act, maybe there are still some sociopathic tendencies left in me. This morning I knew it was wrong to wake my wife up, but I did it anyway, and that dastardly act would probably be considered mean by some, including her. Sociopath? I don’t think that God looks at us with labels in mind. I think He plants in our hearts what is right and what is wrong, and we have a choice. We can choose to obey God, or we can be rebellious and defy His commands and act like the devil.
Fortunately, Jesus Christ came and shed His precious blood for lost sinners including me, and paid my sin debt. Without question, He knew a mean son of a gun like me will never live the perfect life that God requires. Lest you think I am the only sinner on the face of the earth this morning, let me remind you that the Bible states that we have “ALL”, (including you), sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) – Fortunately, through the blood of Christ, God can forgive us and through His grace, we can be saved from ourselves and our tendencies to sin.
Now if only my wife would obey God and forgive me according to Scripture. Hmmm . . . I think I will go back upstairs and tell her that right now; on second thought, I think I will just remain down here and tread lightly. It’s what Jesus would do right? – The coffee was great by the way!
Proverbs 21:9
Better to dwell in a corner of
a housetop, than in a house shared with
a contentious woman.