"The 'Me' in Me"

“The ‘Me’ in Me”

During a deacons’ meeting in a church we served in a rural area of New York State one of the men made a statement I’ll never forget: “Our wives tell us what we don’t want to hear. And the maddening thing is they’re usually right!” As I’ve thought of this comment over the past 40 years I’ve coupled it with Solomon’s words in Proverbs 27:6. This verse has been rendered in various ways including….

*”Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (NASB, NKJV)

*”Wounds from a friend can be trusted….” (NIV, 2011)

*”The wounds from a lover are worth it….” (The Message)

However we read it it’s true because it comes from God (“…All {God’s} precepts are trustworthy.”—Psalm 111:7).

Not long ago Karen pointed out a bad habit of mine to which I reacted wrongly. I argued that others weren’t adversely affected by my actions to which she responded, “God sees it even if others don’t.” “Nothing,,,is hidden from God’s sight.” (Hebrews 4:13, emphasis added) came to mind. Ouch!! Since then I’ve tried, with God’s help, to overcome “the ‘me’ in me”. It’s still a work in progress and likely will be until God takes me Home (see Philippians 1:6).

Our Lord’s friend and apostle gives Christian men (including yours truly) a command and resultant warning in our relationship with our wives: “…You husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. If you don’t treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard.” (1 Peter 3:7, NLT, emphasis added). Could “the ‘me’ in me” be the reason some of my prayers seem to go unanswered? A regular dose of Psalm 139:23-24 would go a long way towards righting this wrong.

I thank God for putting faithful people in my life, especially Karen, to provide godly wisdom and guidance. Please pray with and for me that I’ll listen well and overcome “the ‘me’ in me”.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan