Rick Warren: the root of marriage problems
February 5, 2011 1 Comment
First, kind people are sensitive to others. They are aware of the needs of people around them. So become aware of the needs of those around you. Tune in to them. Kindness always starts with sensitivity. Philippians 2:4 says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Circle the word look. Kindness always starts with noticing the needs and hurts of others.
Often in marriage we are totally unaware of what our partner’s needs are. We have become calloused. We have stopped listening. We are oblivious to the pressure our mate is under. Simply stated, the root of many marriage problems is insensitivity.
Everyone you meet this week needs kindness because everyone is hurting somewhere. Even the people who sit around you at church have major hurts. It’s just that you are not aware of them most of the time. So kindness starts with sensitivity. We find an example of sensitivity and kindness in the life of King David as recorded in 2 Samuel 9. David was crowned king of Israel and had led the Israelites in a series of military victories. The former King Saul, who had opposed him and chased him for years, was dead. David’s friend, Jonathan — Saul’s son — had been killed. Now, safely enthroned for several years, David made an unusual request. He asked whether there was anyone left in Saul’s family to whom he could be kind. He found Saul’s grandson — Jonathan’s son — Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet.
When David sent for him, Mephibosheth probably thought, I am going to be killed because I am part of the enemy family, the old dynasty. But notice David’s kind words: “Don’t be afraid, … for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table” (2 Sam. 9:7). Mephibosheth’s response is interesting: “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” (v. 8). He apparently had a poor self-image. But the point is that David actively looked for people to whom he could be kind. He was sensitive. How about you? To whom do you need to be kind this week? To whom do you need to be sensitive? — God’s Power to Change Your Life (Rick Warren)
“We all know that anything is eternal. And it ain’t houses, and it ain’t names. And it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars… everyone is aware in their bones that some thing is everlasting, and that ‘something’ has to do with human beings.”-The Stage Manager from Act 3 of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.”
Warm regards,
Melissa