Yesterday, I went to interview a preacher. He came three hours late to his church, venue of our meeting and I was a bit angry. But when he explained what kept him, not only did I forgive him quickly and learned some lessons, but I decided to share this with you so that some of us could learn.
Husbands and wives should learn how to settle their quarrels without delay. I have seen situations where couples allow simple disagreement to fester for days. Husband is silently hurting, expecting the wife to speak to him first; same for the wife, hurting and expecting the husband to play the man. The waiting game leads from one thing to the other. If you are at this level of matrimony, please read this. You might have a reason to call your spouse and together take an oath that “OUR QUARREL WOULD NOT LAST BEYOND THAT MOMENT.”
The story as told by the reverend: Husband and his wife (his church members) had a domestic disagreement one morning. The man said he was so bitter about it, claiming his wife knew she was wrong but refused to apologise. She felt it was a non-issue and the husband should overlook easily. To say “I am sorry, darling” to her husband was difficult for her. So many people are like that. So many wives take their husbands for granted too much. We are humans. Blood flows in our veins.
Three days on, malice reigned in the house. The husband said he must get that “I am sorry.” Wife cooked, husband refused to eat. Every day he came home with food from the restaurant. He boycotted matrimonial bed. Husband found new friends in the children; same with the wife. By the way, the children were too small to break the ice. I’ve been there before. Thank God I am wiser now.
On Sunday, last Sunday, they went to church in their different cars but sat side by side during service, pretending to be jolly good husband and wife. Fraud in the house of God! May God forgive some husbands and wives. But after service, husband went home with the children while she waited for women’s meeting. That day, Satan decided to enter the crevice they allowed in their home.
The husband was home already. When he perfunctorily checked his phone, his wife had called him thrice. He disregarded calling her back. Malice. The wife drove in some forty minutes later. He saw Usman opening the gate for her as his phone went on ringing. He checked it. It was his wife. She was in her car at the garage already. What is she calling me for? Foolish and stubborn wife! He said and ignored her calls. The call went on for a while. He ignored it as he sat with the TV.
Thirty minutes later, she did not come in. Something told him to go and check. Is she still in the car? Yes she must be there. He called Usman, Is madam in the car? Few minutes later, Usman rushed in, “Madam dey sleep inside the car o!”
That was when he woke up and rushed downstairs. Asthma! Could she be having her usual attack? Could she have forgotten her inhaler?
He quickly took the inhaler and rushed downstairs. When he got there, she was almost breathless. Usman and husband quickly carried her to the back seat and off he sped like a bat out of hell to the clinic nearby. Madam was confirmed dead! If he had picked her call early enough, probably she could have been saved.
When you leave domestic disagreement to fester for too long, it leads to greater evil. The preacher said the husband is weeping mad, blaming himself: “I killed my wife!”
Only God knows how many wives, husbands, children have died such a needless death. Couples must cultivate one another. No matter how angry I am with my wife; I, in my office; she, in her shop; I call her at least three times during the day. I call even when I have no reason to call. All I would say is, “Where are you? Anything for your boyfriend?” I am not saying this to impress anybody, but because it is true.
— Author Unknown
Meditation: Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. – Ephesians 4:31
You will succeed in Jesus Name!
