August 6, 2020 – Click here to listen
A friend of mine is encountering some very rough times. His construction business has tanked because of the economy, one of his kids is rebellious, his wife is raising holy heck at him because they can’t make ends meet anymore, (as though he has control over the construction industry and economy). The list goes on and on.
He called me the other day nearly in tears, saying he can’t take it anymore.
I tried to counsel him as best I could. Each time he made a negative point I countered with a positive. My business is terrible. Yeah, but your health is excellent. My oldest son is rebellious. Yeah, but your daughter is about to graduate from college.
For every point he made, I made a counterpoint. I’m having trouble with my wife griping at me. Yeah, but your sons idolize you. This went on until he ran out of negatives and I started naming positives for which he should be thankful. 90% of the people of the world don’t have air conditioning but you do. People are starving, but you have plenty of food on the table. Some people are obese – You are skinny as a rail. Some people don’t have any friends – You have me.
For crying out loud man, Jesus loves you, and you have accepted Him as your Savior, and you’re going to heaven for eternity already!
I’m not trying to diminish the serious problems facing him or the world, but I can assure you that the problems with Covid19, our hurting economy, rioting, Nancy Pelosi and cronies, communist China, dishonest media, corruption in high places, and Marxists of every flavor trying to destroy our country are not so much different as the weighty problems encountered right down through the ages and even those people caught up in the middle of all that turmoil had something to be happy about if they would have just looked around a little.
I finished my pep talk by telling him that if he thinks he has it so bad then he should look to poor old King Solomon.
“WAT??? ‘Poor old King Solomon?’ He was the richest and wisest man the world ever will know. What do you mean ‘poor’ old King Solomon?”
“Just remember that POOR old King Solomon had 1000 wives and concubines. If you can get past the sexual connotations of that long enough, just imagine what ‘HE’ had to listen to daily.”
And you think you have it bad? I heard him chuckle and say I cannot even imagine . . .
Proverbs 27:9
Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.