He said like all marriages, his had its ups and downs, including arguments and silent treatments, but overall it was OK. For their 25th Anniversary he took his wife to Paris. He said the last two years were the happiest of his marriage.
“How will you celebrate your 27th?” he was asked.
“I’m returning to Paris to bring the wife back!”
Absence makes the heart grow fonder – they say. Or - out of sight out of mind.
It all depends on your point of view.
Sometimes, wrongly, we feel God has ignored us. He is not listening. Abandoned us even. So we give Him the silent treatment. Stop praying. Stop going to church. And eventually we may drift away. We become distant. Out of sight, and out of prayer, is out of mind too.
If only we stop and think. When we feel distanced from God it is only because we have moved away. He has not left us. He is always there. Ready to welcome us back in His arms with love and forgiveness.
I will be with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20.
Amen to what you have said regarding where God is in our lives. The distance between God and ourselves is our choice. God bless you with all He has for us in Jesus.
ReplyDeleteThank you Brenda for your kind comment; and your continued visits here. God bless you.
Delete...I feel the closeness in nature.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right, Tom. No God. No Jesus. Just a bunch of trees and flowers.
DeleteGod bless you all the same.
Matthew 28:20 is such a comforting verse, especially in the middle of the hard places in life. My One Word for 2025 is Resilience and I often find myself reminding myself of Matthew 28:20. Have a wonderful weekend, Victor.
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to see you visiting here Joyful. Thank you so much. Please call again often and invite your friends.
DeleteMatthew 28:20 is one of my favourite quotations from the Bible. We often discuss Christian topics here; and also humourous articles to cheer each other.
God bless you.
Good morning Victor, due to some problems within my family I have felt distanced from God. Not because I've stepped away from Him. I've leaned on Him more and more but I'm not feeling like He is hearing me. Why? because He is not giving me what I am praying for (I sound like a pouty child there don't I?!) I've gone through several stages of my praying during this time and I have finally reached "okay, Your will be done" stage, My faith tells me that is what will be for the best, My impatient nature says hurry it up wll ya? Thank you for the 27th anniversary chuckle.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you
Maureen
Hi Maureen,
DeleteFirst of all, rest assured that God is hearing you. The problem I guess is that with all the noise of modern life we sometimes do not hear or feel His presence near us. So we think He has abandoned us. Just like Jesus did when hanging on the Cross. But God had not abandoned Him; He was there suffering with Him. Just as He is there, beside you, suffering with you and ready to guide and protect you.
When we feel abandoned we turn away from God and give Him the silent treatment. You say you have reached the "Your will be done" stage. This is something to celebrate. I join you in prayers for this celebration. Now try to move on slowly, step by step, listening to His guidance and His will in your life.
God bless you always my friend. Praying for you.
Thank you so much for offering me your counsel Victor. Your words have truly reached me. The noise of modern life has definitely been my roadblock and I hadn’t realized that till reading your reply. Thankyou
DeleteFeel free to write off-line at the "CONTACT US" tab above.
DeleteGod bless, Maureen.
When we feel distant from God, we're the ones who've done the moving away, Victor. He is always close by and at our side when we seek Him out in prayer and thanksgiving. And the way you began this reflection? Priceless! Blessings, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind and generous comment, Martha. Yes. God is always close at hand.
DeleteGod bless.
Back to Paris!! lol. I laughed at this. How easy it is to move away or distance ourselves from God, but I am praising HIM because HE is always with us...even when we try to hide.
ReplyDeleteIndeed; praise the Lord always because He is in control of every situation.
DeleteGod bless you Shug, my friend.
Always.
ReplyDeleteGod bless, Sandi.
DeleteI'm glad and thankful that God promises He will NEVER leave us.
ReplyDeleteAmen K. God bless.
DeleteI too am glad he has more patience with us, than we have with HIM.
ReplyDeleteHi Victor, I echo Brenda's comment. God bless you and thank you so much for sharing 😊 🙏 ❤️
ReplyDelete