‘Adjust yourself to [people].’ Romans 12:16
A woman who was about to become
a mother-in-law wrote to columnist Abigail Van Buren: ‘My son will marry his
girlfriend this summer. She’s a lovely girl…already a cherished member of our
family. I remember a prayer you ran; a pep talk from a woman to herself as she
approached mother-in-law status.’ And since all truth is God’s truth, here’s
the prayer: ‘Lord, let me be glad when my son picks a mate. If he brings home a
girl with two heads, let me love both of them equally. When he says, “Mom, I
want to get married,” forbid that I should blurt out, “How far along is she?”
Help me get through the wedding preparations without squabbling with the “other
side”. Drive from my mind the belief that had my child waited they could’ve
done better. Remind me when I become a grandmother, that my kids don’t want
advice on raising their children any more than I did. If you’ll help me with
these things perhaps my children will find me a joy to be around, and I won’t
end up writing another letter complaining about them neglecting me.’ One pastor says: ‘Because somebody doesn’t do things the way I do, doesn’t mean they’re wrong. We’re just different. It takes maturity to get along with somebody who’s different, [and] patience not to start a dispute or become offended…No matter how great somebody is, if you’re around them long enough you’ll have opportunities to be offended.’ Paul says, ‘Adjust yourself to [people]…Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.’ It takes humility to keep your own counsel and resist giving unsolicited advice to your adult children.
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