Monday, November 12, 2012

Gen. Petraeus ... "but for the grace of God ..."

I don't know Gen. Petraeus personally, but from all accounts that I hear and read, he is a good man and a great military man who has done great things. I'm not sure if he should have resigned or should not have resigned, but kind of lean towards "he should have", considering the nature of his position....and I don't address the political questions here that are looming about his resignation and th
e Benghazi hearings. I do feel sadness that such a man ends his career in this manner.

I can't help, though, with all the news of the incident being broadcast thinking this: Gen. Petraeus's moral fall is a warning, once again, to us all ... if we don't listen to God's admonition to keep ourselves away from the temptations, or flee them when they are in front of us, we can all fall. We can sit back and smugly say to ourselves, "Yeah, there goes another one. So what's new?" - or we can remember that "That could be me. But for the grace of God ....". And then pray much for him and for his wife and children, who are surely suffering - especially with it all being plastered daily on the news.

I don't excuse his infidelity... or the woman's, who also has a husband and two young children. They have both brought much pain to their families. I am a little miffed when I hear some of those who have almost idolized Gen. Petraeus trying to brush off the infidelity with " a lot of good, important men have done the same thing". Well ...... there are a lot of "good, important men" who have NOT done the same thing, too ... who have faced the temptations (and still do) but veered their paths to avoid the temptations, whatever they be. "Good, important men" who, however hard it might be at times, cling to God and His help to avoid destroying themselves and their families. I am praying that Gen. Petraeus really is sorry that he "fell"; not just that he got caught. I am praying for him that he truly is repenting in front of God and his family - and that he and his wife will be able to come through this together and stay together.

I also am praying for myself and everyone else that we remember this in Proverbs:

Proverbs 2: 12-19 .....

"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. He will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life."

Let's remember: "but for the grace of God ...".
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3 comments:

  1. from the results of this election seems only one thing is clear....we have to turn to God and pray pray pray...

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  2. Yes, we do need to continue to pray for leaders. This is so very, very sad. Blessings, Amy

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