the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Daily Devotionals
Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
Yesterday I heard a term I hadn't heard since the last time I talked to an old friend of mine. One of our church men, Donald Clark, and I were playing golf and talking about different things as we played. He was telling me about a friend of his that had been through a few husbands that were less than stellar and had made the comment that she guessed she was just a "jerk magnet."
The first time I heard that term was years ago while talking with a high school classmate of mine who had had a couple of failed marriages and a few stormy relationships in between. She looked at me and asked, "Do I look like a jerk magnet to you? That's what I feel like." What ever it is, call it a flaw if you wish, some people seem to choose their life partners from the "reject pool."
Consider the plight of PGA pro John Daly. Daly, due to his well-chronicled drinking problems, is not considered to be too big of a prize himself in many circles. But when he met Sherrie Miller at the 2001 St. Jude Classic in Memphis, and later married her at the Bally's Casino in Las Vegas, nothing could have prepared him for what he endured two years later. In 2003, federal authorities arrested Sherrie on a variety of drug-related felonies.
Then there was the Old Testament prophet, Hosea. God had instructed him to marry a harlot, a prostitute. How difficult it must have been for this prophet of God as he married a woman who had been with countless other men. How much pressure did he get from family and friends who, in concern, may have told him to ignore God's instruction. Hosea's marriage to the prostitute, Gomer, was to be an allegory for the kingdom of Israel.
As Hosea's life played out Israel was dramatized within it. God's final statement to Israel through Hosea is one that every marriage, fragile or strong, should heed. "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for my anger has turned away from him." Hosea 14:4 No matter who is chosen as a spouse, dedication to the marriage partner is what ultimately can save it; that is, if their status on the "jerk meter" isn't considered an honor by them.
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' Copyright 2010 © Tom Kelley. 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with their complete bio and a link to https://www.studylight.org/ 2) 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
