Lock Father In Law in the Trunk and Watch Out For Daddy's Shotgun

Several years ago many people had signs on the rear windows of their cars that said “Mother-in-law in Trunk.”  We can bet that is a person’s frustration about meddling relatives.  Even Jesus had some frustration with his family.   Jesus lost his father Joseph so he was the eldest son who naturally would take care of Mary.  Before the end of his life, he asked John to take over the care of his widowed mother.  Even when the son of God stood up in the synagogue, they said, "Is this not Jesus the carpenter’s son.”  Another one is "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Friends and family can hold you back from serving God in life, and what God wants you to do.  The servant is not greater than the master.  People like the Pharisees of different opinions persecuted Jesus, we will be persecuted.  Can anything good come out of Indy?  People want to "hold us to our roots."

And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. Matthew 13:57-58

Whenever my daughters are dating a man, and the fiancé or boyfriend asks my advice, I do the best I can to give good advice, but at the same time I don’t want to be dragged in the middle of my children’s relationships.  I tell them they have to work out their own problems.

It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. Proverbs 20:3

Like one who takes a dog by the ears Is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.  Proverbs 26:17

I won't say that after 15 years of being with my husband or living with my dad and brother that I understand men.  If I lived in the south a couple generations ago, it would be much easier in courting/dating a man.   I believe there was a race where you can go catch a man.  Or your daddy had a big shotgun, i.e. “Ur messing around with my daughter? You better put a ring on her finger.”   My daddy had a shotgun alright, but it was for a horse of a different color.  I've had to overcome being prejudice in my family.  It was difficult to visit my mother at times with her deogatory comments against people.   I loved my mother, but did not like her attitudes.  There is one thing I've come to understand is that we can't change some people's viewpoints.  Jesus reached a few leaders of his day, but not many.  Man looks at the color of the skin, when God looks at the heart.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7

Let’s see what it was like dating/courting a woman in Bible days.  Men usually like to show off their trophies.  There are sports trophies, car racing trophies, bowling trophies, mounting fish and animal heads, how about David’s foreskin trophies?  The Indian warriors had their scalps.   Gee, come in my castle or T-pee and look at my foreskin trophies or my white man scalps!....Gross!

Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.  1 Samuel 18:27

David had killed Goliath and Saul should have made good his promise for David to have his daughter which was part of the prize package of killing Goliath, and yet Saul required him to go kill more Philistines.   It was not enough that David slew a dragon, he had to do more for Saul's approval to marry his daughter. 

Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel." 1 Samuel 17:25

David was in a no-win situation with Saul as his father-in-law from the start of his marriage.    How would you like a father-in-law who tried to kill you?  Instead of having a shotgun, he had a sword.   It was because of Saul’s inadequacies as the king in defeating Goliath.  Saul should have been the one that defeated Goliath.  My mother told me that her dad never liked my father.  I believe the reason my grandfather did not like my dad was because my grandfather was an alcoholic.  My dad’s problem is he outshined him and made him feel insecure.  Sometimes people don’t like us because they are either jealous, but mostly insecure about themselves.

Saul experienced Satan tormenting him about his insecurity in not facing the giant Goliath.  They were mocking: As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." 1 Samuel 18:7 There is a fine line between teasing and mocking.  We must be on guard against bitter sarcasm of other's faults.  That is what this person was doing in the pretense of dancing and singing when Saul overheard them.  This was a lie of Satan to torment Saul.   David had not slain tens of thousands.  It is God who did the slaying of Israelites enemies through David.   How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the Lord had given them up? Duet. 32:30

Slaps to the face/insults were taken care of by Jesus.  That is why we turn the other cheek.  Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him jeering, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?" Matthew 26:67 Sometimes it can be difficult to do and one time I was tempted to "knock my husband's ex-wife lights out" on the soccer field when she started yelling at me and criticizing my daughter and I before a soccer game.   I recently heard the analogy of the scorpion wanted to ride on the back of a turtle so it could get across the lake.  The scorpion road on the turtle's back, but after the turtle helped it cross the lake to the other side, the scorpion stung the turtle.  It's because it is the nature of a scorpion to sting you.  There are some people you can never get close to, because it's in their nature to sting.  Until that scorpion person gets God's new nature in them, they will continually sting others. Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended. Proverbs 22:10 Jesus took blows for us by mockers.  He took those blows blindfolded so he was not able tense up to bear the brunt of those punches.  When a football quarterback gets hit and he does not see it coming, it’s called being blind-sided.  Jesus was blind-sided.  You get hurt more in life when you are blind-sided.  When you see the offensive lineman coming than we can “roll with the punches” knowing that Jesus suffered insults and those blows of discouragement that come against us from others.    In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. 2 Cor. 11:20 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12:10 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." Roman 15:3 I went to a bowling event with my church to have fun, but it turned out to be with a lot of couples and Satan reminded me that I used to bowl with my husband and now I’ve lost that.  Satan is good about reminding us of what we don’t have, does he ever point out good things or what we do have in life?   Do you ever hear about what God is doing on the television news? I don’t keep it all together emotionally at times.  Sometimes I’m more like a quarterback when I see the offensive line man coming (Satan) I’m going to throw the ball up in the air before I get hit again.  I’m not going to face off with a 9’9” giant/offensive lineman at times.  It’s because like former quarterback Jim Harbaugh, I’m tired of getting beat up by other Christians who are my own offensive lineman.  Maybe, I’m not quite as experienced in life with throwing the ball like Peyton Manning.  I’ve not built my confidence that I can make it in life myself and throw a stone on my own and kill a giant.  I want a partner in life to help me in this fight.  That is what God gave me before.  I find my flesh is weak.   I liked my offensive lineman in life.   I like a man on my side, on my team, pulling his weight in marriage. My attitude about getting remarried is “Hallelujah thank you Lord, I’ll take another cold refreshing beer or another chocolate chip cookie warm out of the oven, please.”  In the meantime, I’m fighting defensive linemen to get my cookie.  I’m also going around the house and whenever that miserable loneliness hits me about how I don’t have that warm cookie anymore, I’ve been thanking God I’m blessed.  David talked about the negative voices either from people are inside your head that tell you things in life as far as you are not going to make it and receive your goals, you are not ever going to amount to anything in life, you are going to fail…David said they were like bees. They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off. Psalm 118:2

Rascal Flatts – My Wish

I hope the days come easy and moments pass slow,
and each road leads you where you wanna go,
and if you’re faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin’ till you find the window,
if it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
all the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
and you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God’s grace, in every mistake,
and always give more than you take.
But More than anything, Yeah, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,    (chorus)
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish. Yeah.