Christmas reckonings

There will be a final Judgment, but there are the little squirmy ones in the interim-like the activity of standing at the card rack at the drug store. The following are snippets of random texts from the Christmas offerings "For Husbands" and "For Wives":

"Thank you for being the kind of man who laughs at himself, who works hard, and still finds time for his family." Count them, that's three amazing qualities this man has: (1) a healthy sense of humor about his own foibles and the self-control to not lash out when criticized; (2) a strong work ethic; (3) perfection of the tricky balance of devotion to job with devotion to wife and kids.

It is a wonderful thing to find one-or by an uncommonly blessing, two-of the above qualities in a husband, but the recipient of this card has to incarnate all three. (It is not superfluous, in this day and age, to point out that the man being described here is a husband, which means that he has actually committed himself to a marriage relationship and has stuck around to raise the children.) If her man is not the embodiment of all the above, the woman shopper must put down the card, no matter how fetching the little bow and lace, and must choose another: It would embarrass them both if hubby opened it and read to his own judgment.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Here are Christmas cards from husband to wife:

"You understand my quirks and forgive my weaknesses and you know my heart. No matter how long I know you, you still surprise me." Or, "You are wonderful, loving, gentle, thoughtful . . . good hearted, best friend, and lover. . . . I know I can count on you when I'm blue . . . someone to hold my hand and share my dreams. . . . You listen to my ideas and make me laugh."

Sinking into the floor yet?

"I never dreamed how much my life would change, how much your love could touch every part of my life. I didn't realize what I had been missing. I never imagined how wonderful I could feel, how truly alive my spirit could become. You have awakened feelings in me I never knew existed. You have helped me see a whole new world of possibilities; my heart has found the sweetest love I ever could have wished for. . . ."

Had enough?

The card aisle at your local drug store is mute testimony that all men, deep down, know what God demands of us in our relationships. No man will be able to plead ignorance on the last day. If the Law of God does not judge him, he will be judged by Hallmark.

Let us not despair. There is a spiritual dimension to all occurrences in your day, and today's trip to the drug store was no exception. It is a good word to us from the Lord, reminding us of his righteous requirements, which are achievable by the power of the One who indwells you. So press in.

Then next year your beloved will be able to select for you the most effusive praise and thanks that the card poets can conjure, and no one will blush. And then it won't be just the funny and sarcastic Christmas cards at the drug store that fly off the shelf, while the ones I excerpted above are still sitting there, thick and untouched, and hanging over us like an indictment.

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