Stepping Heavenward
by Rhoda Jore
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
…for there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”
Psalm 133:1:3b
by Rhoda Jore
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
…for there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”
Psalm 133:1:3b
A condescending and critical sister-in-law… a grumpy, sickly father-in-law who disapproves of the way you live and questions your walk with God…it may be humanly possible to “live together in unity” with such people from afar, but how about when they live under the same roof as you and your husband and your small children?
Such is the dilemma of Katherine, a fictitious character in Mrs. E. Prentiss’ book, Stepping Heavenward. I’ve read this book a few times now and each time I’ve been amazed to see the transformation that God works in Katherine as she learns to love these difficult people in her life. It doesn’t come about easily. She goes through a dark season of resenting her husband and questioning God, but ultimately she is able to embrace His desire for her to live in unity with her “brothers”. She’s not content to just “grin and bear it”, pretending to accept their presence in her home but inwardly angry, but she chooses to “rejoice that He had seen fit to let them harass and embitter my domestic life”. Only the Holy Spirit can influence such a response. Following her choice, God bestowed his blessing on her by filling her with a generous, forgiving love for these two people.
I have experienced this life-giving blessing from God when I have chosen love and unity over hatred and discord. It is interesting how a conscious choice usually precedes actual feelings of love. That choice can only come when I am dependent on the help of the Holy Spirit to live in a God-honoring way with those whom I am in community.
