Evangelist Spirit at Work
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Who would you accept advise from––one you know and trust or one you
know but aren’t sure you should trust? Obvious answer, but what’s not obvious
is if
you, the caregiver, are trusted? You could ask.
In my novel, Baggage burdens., Bill thinks Jill trusts him to help Jill mend relations with her eldest son. When Jill’s actions
cause him to question her faith in him, he asks, “You do trust me, don’t you?” Her
response shocks him.
Even with a solid trust foundation and lovingly sharing how God
cares for you, another person may still not be convinced.
“Leave an issue unresolved
and you leave an open window for the devil
to turn people against you,” says Bill.
“I don’t know.” Jill shakes her head slightly.
“It’s worth a try. Trust me.” Seeing Jill’s silence, he asks,
“You do trust me?”
Bill’s question opens a wound
that Jill tries to ignore. ‘My friend, the one I met in Chicago, the one I
trusted, the one who sided with Joseph when Joseph said he wanted to divorce
me.’ Jill recalls Joseph’s words; Even
Bill understands why I’m so frustrated with you. ‘How could he? And now he
asks me to trust him?’
Her betrayal memory burns
like hot coals. She looks at Bill, sitting, waiting for an answer. Wrinkles of
concern line his face.
The once buried grievance causes her to boil. She realizes that if
Daniel has issues with her like she has with Bill then she should know about
it.
Taking a deep breath she pokes the memory of Bill’s disloyalty. “How
can you ask me to trust you? You betrayed me.” She’s surprised at the pain that
instantly blankets Bill’s face. It takes a couple of seconds before he can
speak.
“Whoa! Where is this coming from?” Bill sits up in his chair, as he
tries to figure out what gives rise to this attack.
“You said you understood why Joseph wanted to leave me. Don’t deny
it. Joseph told me. I thought you were my
friend. Then you sided with Joseph? You
betrayed me! Now you want me to trust you, to do something I’m not too keen on.”
Controlling his voice Bill responds. “You’re right. I did tell
Joseph that I understood his frustration. Joseph agreed to buy a
house for you that he felt he couldn’t afford. To make it work, he put in hours
of overtime. Then you criticized him for not spending enough time at home. That I said I understood. Not that he
leave you. He claimed you were incapable of being loving. I said I thought you
were a loving person. I still think so.”
“You didn’t encourage him to leave me?”
“No. Remember. I tried to bring the two of you together to work out
your differences.” He pauses. “As for you not being comfortable talking to
Daniel, then don’t do it. If you have a better solution, go with that. Or if
you think you can comfortably continue not to visit your grandchildren, then do
so.”
Jill fails to see how to talk to her son about the tension between
them.
“Something wrong?”
“I don’t think I can do it,” Jill confesses. “Whatever I come up
with sounds like I’m making excuses. That’ll never work.”
“The fact that you can recognize what doesn’t work proves you will
come up with the right words. And if you don’t, don’t worry. No one is perfect.
You can do it. I’m sure of it. Trust me.”
“I don’t know.”
“Jill, you really have to work on that trust. Believe me when I say
I know you can do it.”
“But I don’t want to blow it.”
“Do you want help?”
“You can’t tell me what to say. It has to come from me.”
“You’re right, but I know how I can help you come up with the right
words.”
“How?”
“Pray.”
“Pray?”
“Yes. Pray. Ask God to lead
you in your talk with Daniel.”
“I don’t know.”
“You sound like Moses when he said to the Lord that he didn’t have
the ability to speak to pharaoh. Remember? God gave him the ability he needed.”
“That’s in the Bible. That’s
a long time ago.”
“You don’t think it happens today?”
“Not to my knowledge. I’ve never heard anyone claim that God
inspired them to say anything of value.”
“Then hear it now. Many times in talking with clients at the
Wellness Center and even when I was the personnel manager I’ve said things I
never thought of. Some times I said things in ways I wouldn’t have imagined.
I’ve given thanks to the Lord for opening my eyes, or rather opening my mouth
at the right time and saying the right things. Believe me, it pays to ask for the
Lord’s guidance in uncertain times.”
Bill speaks with such confidence that Jill refrains from challenging
him. Her doubts continue to plague her
to the point of considering giving up on the idea of talking to Daniel.
Jill’s continuing silence prompts Bill to ask, “Would you like me to
pray with you, to ask for the Lord’s leading on this healing venture?
Still more issues
remain hidden and need to be resolved.
haiku
capsule:
unresolved issue
fogs a trust relationship
hidden stumbling block
Next blog: Judging
Dave
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