Panorama of Possibilities

In the current economy people are losing everything.

We see it in the headlines, we hear it on the news and we even hear it among our church families.  One such situation caught a friend unaware and the result has been devastating.

She got wind that something was coming.  Her husband owned and operated his own business and, with the demands of recent renovations, was away from home a lot.  She gave countless hours in service to her family, her church and her community.  To most observers they hadn't a care in the world.

It was a couple years ago when she felt strongly prompted to put her house in order.  It seemed odd at the time but she felt compelled to begin simplifying her life.  She trusted God and went about clearing the clutter and the excess from her home.  She donated everything she wasn't using to charity.  She could never convince her husband to downsize so she didn't even try.  But she did clear away and give away things - the material things - that were weighing her down.

She enrolled in a seminary study and received so much benefit that when the class was finished she chose another.  So many activities helped her focus on the real value of life.   She was truly feeling her relationship with her Savior grow closer every day.  But, her marriage was troubled.

As a Christian wife of a non-believer she approached her pastor for counsel.  He pointed her to many passages in the bible, helping her to understand the role of the wife as established by God. She was told to respect her husband because God did not make exceptions; believing and non-believing husbands were to be respected.  He told her she was to call whenever she needed and she did.  Friends were enlisted to pray for the situation as the wife watched her husband fall farther and farther into the snares of this world.

His business was growing quickly.  His name was becoming known among prominent members of city government.  He was proudly and boldly building a business empire.  She was wanting him to come to Christ and secure a crown in heaven.

Then, as happens in so many tragedies of script and screen, his world came crashing down.  Everything he had worked for, sacrificed for and created from the ground up was gone.  Just like that.  His business was closed.  He had nowhere to go, but home.

His wife was frightened for her husband and his state of mind.  He sank quickly into a deep depression; remaining silent, sullen, and distant.  She approached her pastor and her friends for prayer.  They buoyed her up and she learned to lean on them while she tried to lift her husband up.

She contacted me and asked for a special card.  She told me of how she wanted to convince her husband to return to their habit of strolling or cycling at the beach.  Those moments had been cathartic for them in times of trial. She felt that in the soothing sounds of surf and sea her husband could find peace, if only for the moment.  She was so hopeful.  Surely, when faced with the vista of the sea and the magnificence of nature, her husband would eventually realize that there must be a God.  She hoped that their silent walks and peaceful bike rides would help him connect to his Father in Heaven, where he could find rest for his soul.

Could I find a picture of two bicycles near the beach?  "Preferably blue," she said.  She wanted to invite him for a bike ride at the beach.  The card would be the perfect invitation.

Panorama of Possibilities

If you have a special request, please feel free to contact me.  You'll find my email address here, via my profile or use my Zazzle store message feature at Your Husband's Deepest Desire.