Friendly Persuasion

Olivia loves old movies, I do too. They are usually so rich in content (and looong), something that is hard to find today. She checked out from our local library, Friendly Persuasion.

This was a good movie, but painfully convicting. This movie is a perfect example of a woman who was very beautiful and gentle, yet she wore the 'spiritual pants' (they were Quakers). And as a 'viewer' it was very obvious that she was legalistic and took the joy from everyone as she called the shots. She also made the men into wimps. Oh how many times I have done that. :o(

What I loved about the father was that he gently and patiently persuaded his wife to *see the light*. I thought it was beautiful how he loved her, and at the same time I was thinking that is how we women are to be. If we feel that our husbands are wrong about something, we should love them, be gentle, friendly, even be open to the chance that we may be wrong (ohh gasp! lol). This is what Paul meant in 1 Peter 3:1, when he said,

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that,
if any of them do not believe the word,
they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives...

Last week we received a newsletter from our friends that are missionaries in China. Here is a part of it:

Now it is our joy to see the W family every week. It is rare to see an unsaved man (with a saved wife) “see the light” through his wife’s testimony, earnestly enquire and “wholeheartedly” come to Christ. Although a Communist Party Member, Mr. W has testified to friends and relatives about the reality of God. He also started to lead his family in daily Bible reading and is an active participant in our weekly Bible classes. In a recent conversation he said, “You mean we should follow the Bible and not the teachings of men, right?” RIGHT!

Another man, Mr. Z is being influenced by his wife and by the testimony of others in the new group. He attended two special dinners with us but has not attended any services. He recently started reading God’s Word. After a quarrel with his wife, Mr. Z (in a phone conversation) told John that he should teach on the fruits of the spiritual life from Galatians 5 because his wife did not practice them! Hey, at least he is reading the Bible. It will be a miracle if his wife (48 years old, saved three years, capable and bossy, but wanting a Christian home) submits to God’s Word and her husband that by her behavior she might bring her husband to Christ, 1st Peter 3:1.

Let us remember our duty, our place,
then God will richly give us the desires of our hearts.