I was reading Proverbs when I came across these wise words and it triggered a memory.
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink
for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)
I remember an incident, no several incidents which happened decades ago. One particular male colleague was very popular with the ladies. He wasn't that good looking nor was he particularly rich. He was of small built , rather pale. He was a junior officer, an average working man with a family but he was very helpful and always full of smiles, pleasant. very pleasant indeed. His wife was masculine in stature and rather plain, but she was one successful woman and she commands respect.
What I want to share is her wisdom. She often caught her husband having lunch or dinner with other younger women, even spending time in the cinemas together in the evenings. Not once did she take it out on her husband, nor did she throw bad eggs at those women. Instead the ones who appears to have "affair' like symptoms, she .invited them over to her home for sumptuous lunch or dinner, where they get to meet her three sons. She took great pains to build up friendship with those ladies. She initiated outings.
Strange things happened. Over time, the ladies who were now friends with the wife, started to adopt more professional relationship with her husband-.no more romantic 'titter chatters'. They were still great friends but now boyfriends came into the picture. They still go everywhere together, but now, in groups- he was with his wife and family and the ladies are now accompanied by their boyfriends.
I asked the wife, what magic she weaved. She smiled, Sun Tze and grandma's wisdom .... :) :) .
