14 July Thursday proper 10
1 Samuel 20:24-42
Madness and jealousy drive king Saul to try to kill David, while his son Jonathan conspires to keep him safe.
On the way to the empty nest there is a lot of acting out over separation issues. It is not always clear that is what is behind erratic behavior while it is happening, but in retrospect, it all makes sense.
The year before my daughter left for college we bickered frequently. Two strong willed, type A personalities -- we had always had our 'moments.' But it was beginning to feel like All the time was a moment!
Then I realized what was going on. If we fought it made life together unpleasant. The more unpleasant it became to be together, the easier it would be to go our separate ways when it was time for college. Not that there was a conscious decision to fight, but at some level, it made sense, to make the separation easier.
Once I became aware of this I stepped back from the quarrels more readily. I was going to miss her, and that was that. Not all separations have to be like Saul and David's.
God, sometimes people who love each other have strange ways of showing it. Help me to find appropriate ways of acting out my feelings. Amen.
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