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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for March 24, 2010
“He Liked It All, But How Often He Had Liked It Already”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
He fell in love with Anna because she was so beautiful.
Something about her bewitched him. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He was in love and he knew he had to have her.
One problem, though. She was married.
Fortunately for him, she was not happily married, and he used that to his advantage. Through his own charms he drew her in, and soon they were having a torrid affair.
Eventually she left her husband and moved in with him, but as you can imagine, the road was rocky. Her husband would not grant her a divorce, plus her lover would go away on business, which caused Anna great anxiety.
She was a mother, but not a very good one. She was more consumed with her own desires, and what she wanted was the undivided devotion of her lover, Alexei Vronsky.
Yes, he was Russian. They were all Russian in this classic novel “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy.
And the weight of the story swings on this one hinge, Vronsky’s powerful attraction to Anna’s appearance. If Vronsky doesn’t think she is pretty, or even if he controls his attraction, there’s no story. There’s no affair. Anna is at home with her husband and children instead of ripping her family to shreds to be with Vronsky. It all came down to this one point, Vronsky found her attractive.
Anna was not unaware of this and she worked hard to keep herself attractive in his eyes. Her hair, her dress, it was all carefully planned to appeal to Vronsky.
But there is one thing she didn’t count on. No matter how beautiful something is, people still grow tired of looking at it.
That’s what happened to Vronsky, and it came out in one of my favorite quotes from the book.
At one point Anna was standing in front of him and Vronsky took a long look – her stylish hair, her fancy clothes – and this is what he thought. Here is this wonderful quote: “He liked it all, but how often he had liked it already!”
That is a powerful lesson for all of us. If you are attracted to someone just for their appearance, you must keep in mind that that attraction will fade, no matter how beautiful or handsome they are. The spell will wear off and you will be left with whatever is left.
In Vronsky’s case, he was left with a woman who was clinging to him, who was holding him back from his professional aspirations. It was a woman with low character, willing to cheat on her husband and neglect her children. She lacked loyalty and faithfulness.
At first he didn’t take into account all these negative characteristics because he was blinded by her beauty. But after a while he got used to her beauty and began to see beyond it to what was left – and he didn’t like what he saw.
I thought about all this when I heard that Sandra Bullock’s husband was cheating on her. One person said, “How could he cheat on her? I mean, look at her.”
What they were saying was, “She is so beautiful, how could anyone cheat on her?”
And I was reminded of Vronsky’s quote, “He liked it all, but how often he had liked it already!”
This should be an eye-opener for all you married men. Maybe you’ve been married for a while. Maybe you have a couple of kids. Maybe your wife doesn’t look quite the same as the woman you married.
Meanwhile, in walks the office hottie. She has the hair and the clothes and the makeup. She is hot, and you feel yourself being sucked into her vortex.
Well there’s nothing new under the sun. This has happened a million times. Don’t think this is something new or special or “written in the stars.”
Try to step back and see the end from the beginning. If you allow yourself to play the game, to get involved with this woman just because she is so attractive, remember, that the attraction will fade and what will you be left with?
Meanwhile, back at home you have a partner for life, what the Bible calls a “help meet,” a “helper.” The two shall become one flesh. That’s the wife of your youth, the mother of your children, ‘til death do you part.
That is the foundation you should build on. That is the garden you should tend. That is the flower you must care for.
If you allow yourself to be attracted by another woman’s beauty to the detriment of your marriage, you are playing the fool.
And you single men, this is a warning for you. Perhaps you have a fine young woman in your life with good, godly character, but gee, she isn’t quite the drop-dead beauty you were hoping for. She doesn’t look like the babes in the magazines and the movies. Meanwhile, there is a pretty girl you have your eye on, but she doesn’t quite have the godly character.
Listen to me. Don’t compromise on character. If you find a godly woman with high principles, don’t push her aside because you might have a chance at a perfect 10.
Single and married men alike. We all need to learn the lesson that Vronsky learned too late, and that is, no matter how beautiful a woman is, and no matter how much you could just sit and stare at her now and soak it all in, eventually that will wear off, and then what? What will you be left with?
So remember Vronsky’s desperate words when Anna’s spell finally wore off.
“He liked it all, but how often he had liked it already.”
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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