Day Eighteen: That he and his wife would be protecting from fault finding
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” ~Genesis 3:8-12
“The door is wide open!”my husband grumbled. I recall that day, not too long ago, when we returned home and found that “someone”- picture my husband turning to me with an accusing eye – had skipped out of the house without shutting the front door. In fairness to him, I had been extremely forgetful that day, and I seemed to be the likely culprit. As the night wore on, however, I realized I had exited the house by the back door while he had left through the front, so guess who really left the door open…? In light of Adam and Eve’s “very bad day”, this was a small incident to be sure, but what struck me by it was the speed with which we accuse our beloved mates (whose company we were enjoying just seconds before) and the dark separation that causes in a marriage – if even for a short time.
Lord, like Adam and Eve, my husband and I are fallen creatures in need of your redeeming work. Though you placed us in a union to bring you glory, we often fall short and blame one another as a result. Jesus, give us grace in this matter. Protect us from finding fault or holding grudges against each other. Help my husband be quick to lead and take responsibility and to forgive me when I fail him. Where he is weak, please make him strong in you. Amen.
—
An anonymous wife.
