On Azimuth

  44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you…” Matthew 5:44 King James Version                “Well, I have real enemies, and they are real people,” said my angry co-worker. Rant completed, he wheeled around and stalked off, bringing our conversation to a quick close.                At that time, I was teaching at a parochial school, and had been asked to give a devotional talk prior to the commencement of the day’s activities during professional development at the beginning of the school year. Choosing Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenl...

4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. Proverbs 15:4 English Standard Version                I spent twenty-seven years in the Army. Twenty-seven years in an environment in which we ruthlessly harassed, ridiculed, and hazed each other. To survive you developed three discrete skill sets; one: a very thick skin, ignoring slights and insults, two: a rapier wit able to engage in conversational parry and thrust, and three: a persona which was always professional, showing no chinks in the armor. Now while these skill sets worked well in the Army, they serve no real purpose in my marriage. In fact, my rapier wit, so effective in military life, exerts a corrosive effect in my marriage. Christy does not thrive when I put her down. She needs to know that our relationship is a safe place, a haven from the harsh reality of life outside our home.           ...