Description
Musings of a relaxed, identity-directed homeschooling mum in New Zealand.
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What Lies Beneath
We have just had an experience of 'appearances aren't always what they seem' in our family.
My older brother, my 'big brother', appears a happy family man. He is on a six-figure salary, huge house, buys his vehicles new, is considering expensive private schools for his children. He has everything intelligence can get someone. Except faith.
We just realised over the weekend that things have NOT been going well after all. We had no idea. He and his wife always appear to have everything together, their lives revolve around their children and their activities, which concerned us a bit, but they seemed really fine. It appears for a long time that he has been hiding information from our side of the family, and now it has all blown up in his face. His marriage is over by all accounts, another woman is involved. A lot of his 'business travel' has been a cover for other activities.
Our family is really rocked. You hear of this going on all the time but to someone else.
Sin is so ugly, and affects so many people, its ripples are far-reaching.
This is such a lesson to me. We as children were always brought up to honour intelligence. To get a good career and have a secure life. My dad grew up through the depression, so this was the way many of his peers brought up their children. I have sub-consciously admired my brother for his success and lifestyle, forgetting that we are all equal before God and our earthly 'stuff' counts for nothing.
I had a chat to my son yesterday. I told him that I would rather he lived in a little shack, working in a rubbish dump, if he lived his life with honesty and integrity.
The order in the bible is faith, virtue, knowledge (2 Peter 1:5). Faith first, then virtue or character, knowledge and intelligence a very low third. We need to determine to not get it around the other way.
A good thing is that this may be a chance for God to intervene in my brothers life. I have always felt that for God to touch him he would need to be bought to the end of himself, his intelligence and self-sufficiency has stopped this so far. |
Posted: 7:48 PM, Apr. 14, 2008 |
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