I Wish I Had Said ....

I went with my mother yesterday to her new doctor, and in the course of the discussion he learned that my Beloved and I had recently moved here to be near my parents and to help in whatever ways we could. He commented that I must have a good husband who is willing to do that. Yes, indeed I do. I explained that I had left the decision of where to move to my Beloved because it was a difficult one for me to make. We knew we wanted to be near family, but to which location should we go? We have a daughter and grandchildren who live in crazy Chicago, another daughter near the east coast, and my parents here. My Beloved decided that we needed to be here, so we packed up, sold the house and moved.

I commented to the doctor that that's what families do. They take care of each other. He reminded me that you don't see that much anymore. It was at that point that I stumbled with what to say. Yes, it is sad, that our culture is like that now, but I didn't want to be praised for doing what I think is just the right thing to do. What I should have said was that the love of God compels us to help our family. It is love for His ways that guides my Beloved and me in what we should do.

When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love others as ourselves, our new nature compels us to do what's right. Of course, we aren't forced into it. The choice is still ours to make. We are told in Galatians 6:10 to "do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." And we can't get any closer to the 'household of faith' than to our own families.

I wish I had directed our discussion that morning with the doctor to the God of love and made much of Him and His ways. It saddens me that I didn't think about it because to Him belongs the glory, for great things He has done.

Painting ~ Louisa Baldwin 1868, Edward Poynter 1836-1919