English 
繁體中文 
简体中文 
Seventy Times Seven
After work one day, my husband and I went to the market to buy groceries. It was late, and most stalls had already closed, leaving only a few scattered ones faintly lit in the dark and disordered market.
I walked towards the dim yellow light—
“Do you sell octopus?” I asked.
A young man wearing sunglasses pointed ahead without saying a word.
I glanced at the octopus and asked, “Are these all so big? Do you have smaller ones?”
He shook his head and continued arranging his fish. The owner of the next stall quickly responded:
“Miss, I have smaller ones here, look! Very fresh!”
He said, placing the octopus on the scale.
I looked at the fish on the scale, which seemed similar to the ones at the previous stall, so I turned to compare them. Just then, the man with sunglasses harshly said to me:
“What are you looking at! You didn’t buy my fish, what are you looking at!”
I was stunned for a moment, unable to comprehend how someone could be so unreasonable. As I regained my senses, my temper flared:
“It’s odd! You display fish for people to see. Oh, I can’t look if I don’t buy? I will look, what about it!”
We confronted each other for a long time, my husband kept tugging at my clothes, signaling me to ignore him. The more my husband tried to calm things, the angrier I became.
On the way home, I unleashed all my frustration on him:
“You don’t speak up when your wife is bullied outside, what kind of husband are you?”
“Forget it! Don’t argue with him. Didn’t you see he was wearing sunglasses and looked shady? Besides, he was holding a fish knife, and there weren’t many people around, so I didn’t want to deal with him,” my husband explained gently.
However, this only made me angrier:
“Oh! You got scared because he had a knife. How are you supposed to protect your wife?”
In my fury, I spoke without restraint, my emotions turbulent and long unsettled. Although I knew a Christian shouldn’t behave like this, at that moment, I pushed God’s words aside, unwilling to think about them, just indulging in the momentary satisfaction of venting my emotions.
After returning home, I didn’t cook dinner but sulked in the room. My husband was silent for a long while, then he finally said:
“It’s not that I was afraid of the young man, nor that I am too cowardly to protect my wife. I was silent because I was thinking about something.”
“What?” I replied irritably.
“Seventy times seven!”
His words suddenly relaxed my tense nerves. I knew the principle of seventy times seven, but at that moment, I didn’t want to humble myself, preferring to vent my emotions first and then talk about spiritual matters. So I was afraid to think about God’s words, as they would make me feel guilty. But once someone confronts you with this issue, you can no longer escape. God’s words are like a double-edged sword, showing you your stubbornness. I felt deeply ashamed and remorseful.
Faith and love are not only practiced in church. We often follow the desires of the flesh, doing things that worry the Holy Spirit. Often, we are not ignorant, just lacking spiritual companions to remind us again. Regularly meeting and associating with spiritual companions is an essential part of living a Christian life.
The repetitiousness and ordinariness of life test our character, and our personality is often challenged by daily routines. Whether we are true Christians is determined by our attitude when faced with tedious and bland tasks.
“and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” (II Corinthians 5:15)
Join us in the upcoming Fall Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation in September. May we all have this new aim in Christ, to have the strength of love and peace, so we can be faithful in front of God.
Thursday, September 26,2024 6:50PM to 8:10PM
Friday and Saturday, September 27-28, 2024 9:00AM to 8:10PM
Sunday, September 29, 2024 9:00AM to 1:00PM
Complimentary lunch and dinner will be served.
Please find our church location below:
True Jesus Church
4N550 Church Road
Bensenville, IL 60106
Google Maps
In the meantime, please feel free to join us for our regular Sabbath (Friday evening and Saturday) services online or in-person.
Friday Evening Service: 7:50PM – 9:00PM
Saturday Morning Service: 10:50AM – 12:00Noon
Saturday Afternoon Service: 1:30PM – 2:40PM
Email us at ilovejesus@tjc-chicago.org