"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him seek peace ..." ... 1 Peter 3:8-11
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Finally I finished this huge book!
It's a compilation of three of Erma Bombeck's books and near the end, oh my. She made one of the boldest statements I'd read from anyone in eons (gasp!).
My version here is oh-so-condensed--
"Personally, I love Edith Bunker... She's a giver... Edith is at the end of every line ... She would drive Archie to the hospital for a paper cut, but she'd refuse anesthetic for her own surgery if it cost extra. She's one of the last of the vanishing breed of listeners--remember them?
"I don't know many Edith Bunkers. The people I know still wear dark glasses indoors even though they fall over things. They refuse to have people in for dinner until all their dishes match. They are bored, miserable, depressed and unfulfilled because in 1965 Betty Friedan told them they were. (Would Betty lie?)"
Wow. And 50+ years later here we are again. Just as in 1965, we're being told how we should feel, namely--
angry,
combative,
unhappy,
discontented,
afraid,
proud,
disobedient,
overwhelmed,
self-focused,
unholy,
hopeless,
irreconcilable--
... and more.
Well, if you wish to live that way--go for it. Be well on your journey.
But as for me and my house? Uh, no way.
We'll be grateful for this life God gave us.
We'll remind ourselves He can make all things new, including our own attitudes.
We'll seek His ideas, especially eternal ones, not our flip-flopping kind.
We'll ask for His strength, knowing it can keep us standing in dicey places.
And we'll remind ourselves that angry, irreconcilable people no longer think rationally. So we'll choose this--
"... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." ... Philippians 4:8
People try to convince me otherwise, but sorry. I'll keep believing 2018 is a wonderful year of possibilities because we still serve a mighty, wonderful God.
And I just can't shake that.
"Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." ... Proverbs 16:32
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And what did Erma Bombeck go on to say?
"I have a theory if anything is ever to be resolved with mankind it won't be the Archie Bunkers with the wall-to-wall mouth who will do it... It will be the Edith Bunkers. Their unselfishness, their regard for human feelings, their patience, their caring and their love of everyone will bring it about."
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"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger... be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." ... Ephesians 4:26, James 1:19-20
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." ... Ephesians 6:13
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Oh! And did you know that this week Target has a great deal online where--if you buy $50 worth of groceries--they'll send you a $10 gift card for your next order? Took me awhile to come up with $50 worth of food since I tend to stay stocked up, but over a few days I was able to do it. 😉
Want to hear a beautiful rendition of Fields of Gold? Go here.
(Tom shared this song with me in an email and I listened to it 4 times. So lovely! But after arriving home he told me what happened to the young singer. So sad. sigh.)
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This. This post is amazing and reflects exactly how I feel too. The world is yelling, screaming, marching, angry. But the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We CAN change the world for good, one Edith Bunker at at time. It won’t be through angry shouting and divisiveness, it will be through these fruits that God gave us to nurture and to share with other.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post today.
Blessings,
Betsy
Oh my, I loved Edith and Erma so much!! When Erma Bombeck passed, I remember reading that she had struggled with health issues for many years (breast cancer and kidney disease). Who knew?? She was always so funny and her ability to find humor in the mundane was priceless.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Eva Cassidy, but I was moved by her singing. Truly beautiful. Then to learn she's gone...so sad.
As always - you're right on target, Debra! I so love your blog because all of the truth you post. Also, things that we need to think about as well. Thank you friend!! (Hugs)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, Erma and Edith got a lot right. Our women's Bible study at church is focused on Ephesians 6 and the book "The Armor of God", by Priscilla Shirer, so we are on the same wave length. Happy Easter.
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