A Little Slice of Heaven

Monday Devotion

“When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.”

Ecclesiastes 5:19–20

Jim’s story is as sad as it is familiar. He and his wife, Emma, had been married for almost twenty years. Jim grew bored with his wife, his family, and the predictable routines. In a case of abominable timing, he began an affair with a much younger woman just when Emma’s mom was diagnosed with cancer. When Emma found out that Jim had used her visits to the hospital as open windows to visit his mistress, and that the mistress in question was still in her twenties, Emma declared the marriage over.

At first, Jim felt relieved by the turn of events. “I feel deeper in love with Jessie after six months than I ever felt with Emma,” he said, but of course that all changed within the next eighteen months.

It almost always does.