Fun with Barry
intro
Dogs are funny animals
Most of us will never be subjected to this kind of abuse or have to reach across so great a chasm to love those who have wronged us. Therefore we need to keep stories like Ernest Gordon’s and Corrie ten Boom’s in mind when we are challenged with loving an enemy. The same principles apply no matter how great or small the conflict. As we love our enemies and seek to meet their needs, we can glorify God and protect our souls from the acid of bitterness and resentment, just as Gordon and his comrades did. And in some cases, God may use our loving acts to soften the hearts of our opponents.
I am blessed to have a wife who has loved me like this time after time. One night we had such a strong disagreement that we went to bed unreconciled. (Yes, we broke the command not to let the sun go down on our anger.) As we lay there facing away from each other, a bizarre contest developed. Without either one of us saying a word, we tacitly agreed that “he who moves first is weak.” I was not going to budge an inch until Corlette moved. She was just as determined not to move until I did. So we lay there like two frozen bodies.
I was soon more frozen than I wanted to be. I had been so distracted when I crawled into bed that I had not pulled the covers over me. It was wintertime, and we usually slept with our bedroom window open, so the room was soon very cold, as was I. But I was so caught up in my stubborn pride that I refused to move and pull up the covers.
After a few minutes, I began to tremble from the cold. Corlette felt it through the mattress and slowly turned her head (so I could not tell she was moving!) to see what was going on. She understood my predicament in a moment: Her silly, stubborn husband had backed himself into a corner and needed help to get out. Giving up her desire to win the ridiculous contest of wills, Corlette made the first move. She reached down, took hold of the blankets at my feet, and pulled them gently over my shoulders.
In a few moments I was trembling even more, but not from the cold. Her loving gesture was so entirely undeserved that it melted my heart. My anger and pride dissolved, and I finally saw how much I had sinned against her. With tears of regret, I turned to Corlette and experienced the joy and freedom that comes from making peace.
There is such wisdom and power in these simple words: “ ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”