You Should Have Waited For Me - Encouragement for Today - July 26, 2019

Peace and perspective from God's timeless truths. [View this email in your browser]( Encouragement for Today --------------------------------------------------------------- July 26, 2019 You Should Have Waited For Me [BEVERLY POUNDS, COMPEL Member]( [ Listen to this devotion](  “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.” [Ecclesiastes 7:8]( (HCSB) Glancing out of our kitchen window, anger instantly replaced the inner peace I had enjoyed following a women’s retreat. During my weekend absence, my husband had radically trimmed the lowest branches of our towering evergreen. From snowfalls to high school proms, those graceful, sheltering branches had served as the perfect backdrop for cherished family photographs. My mind became a personal battleground as I repeated to myself, “I will NOT overreact. I WILL handle this well.” Within minutes, my mature self-talk evaporated in an outburst of tears and anger. “You knew how I felt about trimming the evergreen. You should have waited for me!” He calmly defended his position: Mowing would be easier, and the poison ivy patch was now under control. I, however, remained frustrated that my input had been ignored, and throughout the evening, my outward attitude clearly reflected my inner anger. Eventually I adopted a “what’s done is done” approach, and I adjusted to the altered side yard view. Months later, distinct areas of brown needles began to overtake the silvery green branches, and it became apparent that our evergreen was dying from the poison ivy spray. Fortunately, this slow decline afforded me time to discern my attitude and response. Looking back, I was confronted by my arrogance: a belief that my landscaping taste was superior, that my point of view mattered more than my husband’s, that my vision created the most beauty. In reality, by asserting that he should have waited for me, I was questioning his judgment — implying that my plan ought to have taken priority. Pride, much like the poison ivy spray absorbed by the deeply rooted evergreen, had overtaken my perspective. This haughty attitude resulted in actions as unattractive as the dying brown boughs and threatened to create distance in my marriage. As an isolated incident, a pride-filled squabble is unlikely to derail a relationship. However, a pattern of superiority and self-righteous pride could easily erode the most loving of marriages. [Ecclesiastes 7:8]( reminded me that I could choose my next response and change the outcome of our landscaping disagreement. [Continue reading...]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Subscription Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( --------------------------------------------------------------- © 2019 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Encouragement for Today. [Link](