October 26, 2022 8:00 pm
When a leader asked if I’d speak with her privately, I found Karen in the retreat center counseling room red-eyed and wet-cheeked. Forty-two years old, Karen longed to be married, and a man was currently showing her interest. The problem was this man was her boss—and he already had a wife.
With a brother who cruelly teased her and a father devoid of affection, Karen discovered early that she was susceptible to men’s advances. A renewal of faith had given her new boundaries to live by, but her longing remained and this glimpse of a love she couldn’t have was a torment.
After talking, Karen and I bowed our heads. And in a raw and powerful prayer, Karen confessed her temptation, declared her boss off limits, handed her longing to God, and left the room feeling lighter.
That day I realized the brilliance of Paul’s advice to treat each other as brothers and sisters in the faith (1 Timothy 5:1–2). How we see people determines how we treat them, and in a world quick to objectify and sexualize, viewing the opposite sex as family helps us treat them with care and propriety. Healthy brothers and sisters don’t abuse or seduce each other.
Having only known men who demeaned, used, or ignored her, Karen needed one she could talk with sister-to-brother. The beauty of the gospel is it provides just that—giving us new siblings to help face life’s problems.
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When a leader asked if I'd speak with her privately, I found Karen in the retreat centre counselling room, red-eyed and wet-cheeked. 42 years old, Karen longed to be married, and a man was currently showing her interest.
But this man was her boss, and he already had a wife. With a brother who cruelly teased her and a father devoid of affection, Karen discovered early on that she was susceptible to men's advances. A renewal of faith had given her new boundaries to live by, but her longing remained, and this glimpse of a love she couldn't have was a torment.
After talking, Karen and I bowed our heads, and in a roar and powerful prayer, Karen confessed her temptation, declared her boss off limits, handed her longing to God, and left the room feeling lighter. That day, I realised the brilliance of Paul's advice in 1 Timothy to treat each other as brothers and sisters in the faith. How we see people determines how we interact with them, and in a world quick to objectify and sexualise, viewing the opposite sex as family helps us treat them with care and propriety. Healthy brothers and sisters don't abuse or seduce each other. Having only known men who demeaned, used or ignored her, Karen needed one she could talk with, sister to brother. The beauty of the Gospel is it gives us just that, giving us new siblings to help us face life's problems.
Today's scripture reading is from 1 Timothy 5, verses 1 and 2. Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Let's pray together. Father, thank you for adopting us into a new community, the family of faith, that gives us new parents where we've had no parents before, and brothers and sisters around the world. Help us to see each other as family, treating both each other and everyone else we come across today with respect and purity. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: small.en / 2022-11-05 17:50:29 / 2022-11-05 17:51:20 / 1
