Has it happened to you lately? The moment your joy meets another person’s envy? The time your happy heart collides with someone’s self-pity? A friend waxes green behind a tight-lipped smile and a reluctant shake of the head… “Must be nice…” She may even toss God into it. “Boy, I sure wish God would do that for me…” Self-pity, self-seeking, comparison-making, false-fronts. Yuck, yuck, double yuck. But who hasn’t tasted the sour-stomaching fruity effects of the flesh? So we ask God for more love! Indeed, our flesh screams in protest when we work to attain something, only to watch it …
The Ugly Wife
When I hear Jacob tell my father how much he loves my sister, my heart sinks. I’m second place because of my sister’s good looks. Passing by, I can’t help but notice the twinkle in their eyes as they hold each other in their gaze. Him, tall and ruddy; her, bright and curvy. I couldn’t possibly feel any more plain or invisible. I almost choke when my father wants me to slip me into Jacob’s tent and marry him secretly. What a horrible trick. Am I that ugly that I need to lower myself like this? I do as he …