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Has Your Lamp Been Removed?
Revelation 1-3
As I sat down with my morning coffee, I wondered what I would say, and how I would say it to you. What came to mind is our new journey. For one thing, we are all adjusting to the confines of the Covid-19 pandemic. For another, we are welcoming our new preacher and his family into our congregation.
When thinking about the adjustments we all need to make, I can’t help but wonder where I’ve gone wrong … what I need to change about myself … how I can be of better service to others? I think on this because of Revelation 1-3.
I imagine myself standing before the throne of God trembling in fear to behold his majesty. When I read God’s pronouncement upon the seven churches of Asia, I couldn’t help but tear up over what’s lacking in my life. I don’t want the Father to sit me down and tell me I’m good in this area of my life, but I lack in another, and if I don’t straighten up, I will be judged.
But how can I avoid such fate?
The Church of Smyrna and the church of Philadelphia are the only two churches out of seven found without fault.
Stunning.
What state will our church be in if Jesus comes with the clouds today? And what part have I played in my church’s demise or in my church’s glory before the Lord?
I don’t like new beginnings. I like routine. I would rather stay couped up in my house and not visit with a soul. I’m comfortable. Stubborn. Anti-social. I need no fanfare. I don’t care for gossip and I literally hate the telephone.
But as I write these words, I’m faced with this question: What am I willing to give of myself to further the kingdom of my Father?
The seven churches mentioned in Revelation are in Asia, specifically, modern-day Turkey, in the eastern Mediterranean area, on or near the Aegean Sea coastline, and were under Roman rule.
Ephesus was a city of 250,000 people, prosperous, wealthy, in the on/near the Aegean Sea, and under Roman rule. The ancient Greek city was located off the coast of Ionia, 3 Km southwest of present-day Selçuk in the Izmir Province, Turkey.
Smyrna is a city north of Ephesus – located on the Aegean Sea coastline that was later captured and destroyed by the Greeks, but rebuilt in the 3rd century, to later become an ally of Rome; is the third largest city in the country. It, too, was prosperous and had magnificent buildings. Today, known as Izmir.
Pergamos / Pergamon / Pergamum – located in the western portion of Asia Minor and north of Smyrna, approximately 15 miles inland of the Aegean Sea, and was once the capital of the Roman province.
Thyatira is located near the Lycus River and it’s where Paul and his companions were invited to stay at the house of Lydia where she and her household were baptized. This city is now known as Akhisar.
Sardis is located 50 miles east of Smyrna, 30 miles south of Thyatira. The Christian community was small and weak and a lot of them returned to their old religious beliefs. It was formerly the capitol of Lydia.
Philadelphia is located 30 miles southeast of Sardis, founded by Attalus II Philadelphus of Pergamos. It was destroyed by an earthquake in AD 17, but rebuilt by Emperor Tiberius. It is now known as Alasehir.
Laodicea is located 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia and 80 miles east of Ephesus in western Asia Minor – Turkey. It was renowned for its fine woolen garments and eye salves. This city is now known as Denizli.
The Church of Ephesus forsook their first love – Christ.
The Church of Pergamum had those in their midst who worshipped other gods and were sexually immoral.
The Church of Thyatira tolerated Jezebel who called herself a prophetess, teaching and misleading God’s servants.
The Church of Sardis is dead but pretending to be alive, their deeds incomplete.
The Church of Laodicea is lukewarm and is nauseating before the Lord.
What state are we in and how have I helped propel our sentence before the Lord?
I can’t answer this question for you, for I can’t assume to know what you know.
But I can say with certainty that each one of us has a role to play in helping to edify the Church of God. None of us has the right to warm a pew, nod in each other’s direction, cross our legs and criticize, sit back in silence, and carry on.
This is the time to pivot … to seize this opportunity … to set goals for ourselves in order to help the church move forward and not backward. We can’t afford to waste time waiting for a preacher, an elder, a younger person, or more families to move in, or our contributions to increase before we change our attitudes toward one another. When I stand before the throne of God, I will answer only for myself.
This is serious spiritual business. This isn’t a game. Prayer is not something you say, mere words, but is an interaction with God on behalf of another. Christianity is a spiritual communal affair. It requires engaging with others.
And have I mentioned that I’m anti-social and I’d rather stay home, alone, without a telephone?
How can you encourage me to change? What good can I be to the church with my selfish attitude?
Sadly, the answer is: I can’t be of use to anyone. Unless. I. Change.
And you won’t grow either if you do not change.
We are all called to grow in the spirit by the Word of God.
When I think of the seven churches and the seven angels assigned to them, I can’t escape the possible fate we may fall into, both individually, and as a church. I’m hoping my obedience to the Father will increase … my love for the brotherhood will be sincere … and most of all, my love for God will be fervent and without fault.
But to love God is to love my brother and sisters. In I John 4; specifically, v.7-11; and v.21, we are commanded to love each other.
If I continue to conduct my life … If you continue to conduct your life the same way you did a month ago, what have we profited? Do we not fear God’s wrath? Do you really think your church attendance is enough to ensure you have a seat at God’s table?
I want so much more than just to act like a Christian and attend worship service. I want God to change me inside out. I want God to scrub away the callouses until I am raw and tender in heart. I want to look upon people with love–not filled with hate, not by social class, not by political parties, not by ethnicities, not by education, not by financial status. I want to give all of me without complaining, without wishing and hoping for something in return. I want a steadfast love–a love without blemish, a love without fault, a love without judgment.
For all of that to happen, I must humble myself before the feet of Jesus and stop playing and acting the part in a play. I must turn in my Actors Guild Awards and replace it with bent knees, and a humble and repentant heart before the Father.
For all of that to happen, I must give up my complacency, give up my attitude of “I’ve put in my time. Let someone else do it.”
Until that happens, it won’t matter what preacher you’ve hired, how many people have joined our congregation, if we have an adequate number of elders, or if our contributions have increased. You see, if we accomplish all these things and have not love, we will stand before the Lord and He will not fail to voice his displeasure and tell us that we are lacking and have forsaken our first love.
Two of the main themes in the book of Revelation is God’s encouragement to the church — telling them that they have a greater future than the chaos surrounding them; and the revelation of God’s awareness of their deeds. A reward awaits those who endure. Jesus is still and will always be the head of all things. He is the King of all kings, God of all gods. In the book of Revelation, God unveils the church’s immediate future so they can be comforted in times of persecution. He’s encouraging you to hang in there, don’t give up, persevere, for when Jesus comes with the clouds the final victory of the Lamb over Satan will occur and we need to stand ready.
God knows your deed, your hard work, your issues with complacency and laziness, your unwillingness to volunteer to be of service to the church, your hardened heart, your perseverance, your fears, the tears you’ve shed over disobedient children. Like the seven churches, he knows your hate for wickedness, how you’ve tested friends and loved ones, members of the body only to find them false or lacking, yet, you have persevered and endured for his namesake and have not grown weary. Be of good cheer! Be of good courage for God rewards the faithful.
To the Church at Ephesus, he gave the right to eat from the tree of life.
To the Church at Smyrna, he promised no pain by the second death.
To the Church at Pergamos, he presented them with a white stone with a new name.
To the Church at Thyatira, he gave authority over nations.
To the Church at Sardis, he promises to never blot out their names from the book of life but will acknowledge them before the Father and his angels.
To the Church at Philadelphia, he wrote God’s name and city, the new Jerusalem, upon them.
To the Church at Laodicea, he gives the right to sit on Jesus’ throne and Jesus will eat with them.
The promises of God are sure, firm, and will not fade with time. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is, and was, and is to come. Daily renew these words in your mind basis so your spirit can be refreshed.
God will not gloss over your complacency. He won’t ignore it. Like he found fault with the seven churches of Asia, he, too, finds fault with me and you. Imagine you are before the Father. What will you confess? Or rather, what is the first thing you will try to hide from him?
My encouragement to you today, is, for once, be honest with God. Stop all the talking with one another and talk to God. Confess your complacency. Confess your unwillingness to give of yourself, to be of service to your local congregation, to love the brotherhood of believers. Confess why you are expecting so much in return and no longer willing to give of your time.
For anything short of repentance is no repentance at all. And without repentance, there is no seeing the Father face-to-face, no eating at his table, no crown of life, no eating from the tree of life.
I am lacking. I must do more.
How about you?
Are you really willing to run the risk of having your Lamp removed?
September 19, 2020
Donna B. Comeaux
LOVE ON PURPOSE
Ephesians 1
(NIV)
Have you ever asked, “Why did God make us … only for us to die and be apart from one another?” “Why get married then be separated by death?”
Questions like these are stirred by our quest to understand God’s purpose. There’s nothing wrong with us asking these questions. God knew you would ask. And he’s prepared an answer for you.
Ephesians 1:4-6 reads,
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
God didn’t wake up one morning and haphazardly decide to form a ball, dig in the dirt, and scoop you out.
He planned, set things in order, gave his son directions to be carried out later, then put everything into motion.
After we went astray, he could have withdrawn his hand and turned his back on us. Instead, he followed through with his commitment to love us … planning to love despite our failures. Take a closer look at Ephesians 1. This time let’s zoom in on the adoption:
“In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ …”
This means God prepared a way for us after we fell. He loved us so much that he was unwilling to leave us on our own. He made a way to reconcile us to himself.
God loved on purpose. This is God’s intent. This is who he is. This is his commitment. We might refer to this as a reckless love … a love without boundaries … a love without fault … an endearing, long-lasting love. If you think of God’s love in this manner, you’d be correct.
We are called to mimic not only his sacrifice but also his love for us.
What is it about us … as a people … that causes us to envy one another? What creates our quarrels and causes you to “lose your religion?”
Go to Ephesians 2:10 and read,
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
“… prepared in advance?” A workmanship? Created to do good works? What good works?
Many of us in the body of Christ are excellent in the mission field. We’ve seen countless videos of those who work tirelessly in the jungles of Africa, on the cold streets of Russia, under the watchful eyes of China. Under our breath, we mumble, “I wish I could do that.”
Those wishes sometimes catch us at a weak moment and it turns to envy. Envy causes us to fight.
Go to James 4:1-3 and read,
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
This verse covers more than worldly possessions. It covers any and everything that battles or conflicts with the Holy Spirit living within us. It covers our covetous desires to be like sister “so and so.” It covers the desires for your husband to be more like “Brother Moore, Larry, and Henry Joe.” It covers the desires to contribute hundreds of dollars to missions like the rich family over there and covers your urges to butter up to another brother so you can learn how to preach and gain the respect he’s been given.
God has apportioned all of us a gift and talent he desires for our lives. And one of the most precious gifts he’s given us is the gift of love. He commands it and demonstrates how to acquire it, use it, implement it, and to pass it on.
You see, no matter where you are placed in the body of Christ, we are to sharpen each other like iron sharpens iron and to love without favoritism. (Prov. 27:17; James 2:9)
We must, like God, Love on Purpose. We must plan on it. We must center our lives around loving each other. Our every intent when we come together when we pray, when we’re apart when we have a difference of opinion when our politics have instigated a divide when things aren’t going well financially or otherwise … Our every intent … our forever purpose must be to love one another.
Sometimes, we slip up and … say and do things … that we intended to keep hidden. We intend for our negative attitudes to stay behind the curtain, hidden away from our sisters and brothers in the church. We fool ourselves into thinking that our hearts won’t really be revealed to the naked eye.
But God says in Matthew 6:21,
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This passage is revealing to us that whatever your intent … whatever it is you deeply feel, it will be known. Really? Yes. Your heart follows what you treasure. Your heart acts out or reveals what you treasure most.
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45)
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. (Proverbs 27:19)
So, if you have a negative opinion about someone … if you are angry and trying to hide it … if you hate but smile in disguise … if you speak softly, but inwardly want to murder … if you act kindly, but want to belittle and tear down those you love, IT. WILL. EVENTUALLY. BE. REVEALED. Why? Because you will act out what you truly believe. Because your heart cannot be hidden. You may fool yourself into thinking you can hide it. But your heart cannot be hidden.
The love God intended for us to have for one another calls for us to deny ourselves. To carry the burden of others as if it were our own.
To love on purpose is a mindset. It’s not an emotion. It’s not driven by circumstance. It’s driven by the love we have received from God Almighty. When we self-reflect on the weight of our sins and how God himself has removed us from darkness, we become thankful, gracious, uplifted, relieved, and we become receptors of unspeakable joy. We are to pass this love on to our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. And if we do or say anything to destroy or hinder the brotherhood of believers, we might as well fasten a yoke on our necks. For we are not enslaving and hindering a sister or brother, but we are thereby hindering ourselves and have become entangled in the wicked deeds of the evil one. (Galatians 5:1)
Think twice the next time unholy things are spoken. Think twice the next time you disguise your ill-intent. For God hears, sees, and knows the intent of your heart. (I Chron 28:9; I Samuel 16:7; Psalm 139:1-23) Humble yourselves therefore before the Lord. Speak as godly people. Speak holy and righteous messages one to another. For you are a royal priesthood, holy, and unblemished if you follow the Lord our God in your ways. (I Peter 2:9)
Beware,
“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10)
Amen.
Things to remember and discuss:
- Self-reflect – Examine yourselves.
- Question your motives.
- Be honest with God. Confess your sins.
- Yield to the Holy One and submit yourselves to him.
- Seek the forgiveness of others.
- Don’t follow emotions. Follow truth. Search the scriptures for truth.
- Do what the Holy Spirit is guiding you to do.
- Speak righteously.
The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight. (Proverbs 15:26)
Living the Word Through the Living Word
“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may
be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:4 (NIV)
If you prefer to listen to this lesson, click on this link:
To one degree or another, we’ll remember 2020 as the year of tribulation. Each of us can name several instances where we’ve been tested during this pandemic. People are experiencing food shortages. Money is low. And many have lost their jobs, and may never get them back. People have fallen ill. Too many have died. Everyone has been affected in one way or another. All of us are physically, emotionally, and spiritually separated from family and friends. Day by day, we’re growing weary and anxious to come together.
In our walk with Christ Jesus, we sometimes fail to recognize he feels our pain … he’s walked our walk … and he knows exactly what it’s like to be alone and abandoned. Whether we feel it or not, God is with us, just as he was with Christ as Christ hung on the cross. That’s a spiritual fact. A fact we affirm with “Amen” when it’s preached from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. We affirm it by tapping our feet when it’s echoed from a songbook. We affirm this spiritual fact by nodding our heads when someone speaks these words in our Bible class. But when it comes to living out the word through the living word, our faith waivers. Hardships come and we doubt. We forget our hurt is only solved through Christ. We forget that in spite of how we feel or what we’re going through, we are called to stand firm and to Live the Word through the Living Word.
Why do cares of the world easily overtake us and cause us to waver from God?
Could it be we’re sometimes treating God’s word as an insurance policy? Leaving it neatly inside a drawer, hidden away in some special place, easily accessible in times of need? Let me remind you: God’s Word is a love story—a story of reconciliation. His love letters should be read daily, diligently, prayerfully. Occasionally, we spend too much time from the loving words of the Father, forgetting how much he loves us, letting too much time come between us and the Holy One, unaware that the longer we go without reading his love letters, the farther we drift away. It’s like going through the day without eating. When we finally sit down for a meal, we gorge it because we’re so famished.
In the midst of desperation, we divulge God’s word in large quantities like a famished person who hasn’t eaten for days—looking for a quick fix—failing to discern the word, failing to allow his word to marinate. When our lives finally calm down, we realize how exhausted we’ve become. We pull away and rest, unaware weeks have passed … months … apart from the Word until the next crisis.
And there begins the cycle of our lives.
This is not what God calls us to do. He does not call you to live in desperation.
God calls us to meditate on his word. Not gorge it like animals. He wants us to think on it … apply it … be thankful for it … be in prayer about it … ask for ways to share it with others … to live out the word through the living word. To be specific, we are to mimic Jesus … mimic our forefathers who lived by faith … to wait upon the Lord with patience and diligence.
With my husband’s permission, I want to share his story so you can better understand what I mean.
Not too long ago, my husband’s duties changed at work. He’s not a man of words, and he almost hates the English language. English was never his favorite subject in high school. He was more of a math whiz; now a project engineer by trade. In his new duties at work, he has been asked to write large amounts of narratives to summarize the status of on-going government projects.
Because he clearly understands his dilemma, he began spending more time in deep prayer. Shortly after his prayer time, he goes in our second bedroom which we’ve transformed into an office. He works on one side of the room, and I work on the other. After one of his conference calls, I noticed his heightened frustration with people who wouldn’t do their jobs properly. Within days, he became visibly stressed, was restless in his sleep, if he slept at all. He’d often tell me, “I don’t know if I can do this. I’m not a good writer. There’s too much to learn in too short of time.” I asked him, “Have you prayed about it?” His reply was, “All the time.”
Ladies, “What’s wrong with this picture?” Did God not say,
“But when (you) ask, (you) must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” (James 1:6-8)
I looked at my husband in the eyes and recalled the story of Noah … how Noah spent much time physically laboring to build the ark.
I recalled the story of Joseph – how a young seventeen-year-old was sold into slavery by his own family and plunged into a foreign culture; cast among a people who spoke a different language. I stressed to my husband how Joseph served his masters as if serving God Almighty, served prisoners in the same way he wanted to be served … doing all this regardless of his circumstances. And, I would be at fault here, if I did not highlight Joseph’s closeness with God during his time of trials and tribulations. Though he was hurt and alone, he didn’t feed his anger. He didn’t whine over lost possessions or for what he perceived as the “good life.” And let me also say this: Joseph followed God’s lead without ever understanding why God allowed this to happen to him. Joseph didn’t piece it together until later … much later.
If you think your heartaches and pain will come from the world, you might need to rethink this. Your family (or whomever you consider family) can devastate you if you let them.
Joseph is you—devastated by your brothers and sisters. Joseph is me—abandoned, but not alone. And like all of us, he faced hardships, he faced loneliness, he faced false accusations (Potiphar’s wife), he faced people forgetting about him (the cupbearer – Genesis 40:23).
By the time I recited this biblical history to my husband, he shook his head and said, “I got it.”
But … I sat and wondered … did he really understand?
Later that same day, the truth was revealed. My husband’s co-worker telephoned and asked how he was doing. My husband replied, “I don’t know, man. I wish these people …”
I quickly interrupted the call by grunting, loudly. I spoke just as loud, by saying, “God is near. He hears. He will help you. Speak positively. Believe in the one who is able to save.”
After my husband’s call, I thought he would be angry that I interrupted him. But he stopped in front of my desk and said, “Thank you. I needed you to remind me and I appreciate it.”
Ladies, we are praying and reading our Bibles, hiding away in our closets, but sometimes we are “not” Living the Word Through the Living Word. Reading the word of God is of no benefit if we do not do what it says. “We’re like a man who looks himself in the mirror, and walks away and forgets what he looks like.” (James 1:23-24) You and I must not be lazy, but be students of God’s Word. Under pressure, against our will, during hardships, in the middle of family strife, when demands on our time are high, we must still be obedient servants and submit to God’s commands.
What does submission to God look like?
Do you remember Abraham’s faith? Good! Now, you must mimic his faith. Although the odds are against you, you must climb that treacherous mountain in faith, JUST LIKE ABRAHAM. Abraham remembered God’s promise to make him a father of nations, and he believed God would bring his son, Isaac, up from the dead. JUST LIKE ABRAHAM, you must BELIEVE.
Again, I ask: What does submission to God look like?
A change of attitude — by “… counting it all joy … when we face trials and tribulations.” (James 1:2-3) This passage of scripture is calling you to look at your trials from a different perspective. Trials exist to perfect your faith. They don’t exist to sop up your tears. Neither should your trials pull up a chair so the two of you can have coffee to devise a plan to manipulate yourself out of your situation. Trials exist to make you wail. And in your wailing, you are to stand firm, cry out to God, hold tight to God’s word, BELIEVING God is able to help you withstand the forces against you. And once you have persevered through your trials, you become a stronger, more faithful, more steadfast child of God, who is in a better position to be an example to those around you.
You see,
“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, and not lacking anything.” (James 1:4)
Let me ask you something: Have you ever met a strong Christian whose faith hasn’t been perfected by hardship?
Aren’t trials in our lives so perseverance can work its good work in you, so you can become mature, spiritual, and godly?
Without trials, there is no perfection of your faith. Without our faith being made perfect, we are no closer to God than the ungodly.
I understand … I get it. Some of us don’t want to be uncomfortable. You might be thinking: “Donna, you don’t understand what I’m going through. My husband won’t get up and go to church with me. It’s better I leave things alone. You see, Donna, my child is rebellious, and I’m doing good just to get him or her out of the door to school … to work. My mother … My family … none of them get along and they lean on me way too much.”
Is it not a fact that there’s always something aggravating and testing our faith, and causing us to stumble? Is it not better to be uncomfortable in our struggles and remain obedient in Christ Jesus who can save us, rather than be comfortable in our wickedness and die in our sins? Who wants an eternal death?
Be reminded—
Perseverance produces Maturity, Completeness – James 1:4
Don’t doubt – James 1:6
“Blessed is the man who perseveres … because he will receive a crown of life.” (James 1:12)
God’s mighty hand will raise us up and set us high on the mountaintops even though there is a calamity all around us. Psalm 91:7-10 reads:
“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.”
If this is too hard to believe, I want you to sit still for a moment and remember the last tragedy you experienced … the last debacle you encountered … the trouble with your job … the empty refrigerator … the last time you struggled to pay utilities … the last time you were abandoned by family and friends.
Remember that pain?
Now, as you think back, can you relate to Psalm 91:7-10? Let’s read it again,
“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.”
You believe it now? Can you also see our relationship with God is hinged on belief and faith? If you lack belief … pray to God for your unbelief. If you lack faith … pray God strengthens your faith.
In closing, please remember to act out what you hear and see in the living Word of God. Mimic the life of Christ, the examples of the apostles, the faith of our forefathers, your grandmother’s struggles, your momma’s faith. Change your attitude and learn to look forward to opportunities to persevere in your faith so it can be made perfect.
I have highlighted eight things to do and remember, but I’m out of time. You can find this list on my blog page at: www.awriterfirst.wordpress.com.
Very quickly, here are eight things to do and remember:
- Carve out 30 minutes a day to read the word of God. There are 24 hours in a day. Thirty minutes is exactly eight-tenths of a day. Is it really too much to ask to spend eight-tenths of your day with God?
- Each and every time you become panicky or afraid, read Psalm 91 over and over again until you have it memorized. Read it aloud. When your mind wanders, start over and read louder.
- Don’t let the world impose their wickedness on you. Remember, “…you are in the world, but not of the world.” (Romans 12:2)
- Pray without ceasing. (I Thessalonians 5:17)
- You must develop a sincere love for one another. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (Romans 12:10)
- Stop engaging in foolish talk.
- Pray for those who don’t know the truth, for their end is near and it will be horrible to hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth. Their end cannot be UNdone.
- Don’t be hardheaded. LISTEN to the Holy Spirit and FOLLOW his lead.
Amen.
Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to share God’s word. May God continue to open your hearts to the truth and help you overcome the flesh so you can Live the Word Through the Living Word of God.
An encouraging video is below.
Donna B. Comeaux
Note: This is a Bible lesson I presented on the 8:00 p.m. Thursday Ladies Prayer Line on July 23, 2020.
If you would like to hear my lesson by telephone, dial: (515) 604-9300; Access Code – 635154; Lesson #229
A Betrayal of Trust
A Short Story
“Sarah, look at this.” Linda slowed her vehicle to a crawl and nodded toward a massive house with several neat rows of miniature roses. The woman kneeling in the garden was so absorbed with pulling weeds that she neither raised her head in acknowledgment of Linda and Sarah nor gave much thought to the wispy winds promising to dislodge her hat. Sections of her wooden fence leaned outward. Grass had grown ankle deep. Pristine acreage owned by neighbors flanking both sides of her property made the woman’s land appear run-down. Linda imagined the roses were all that remained of the woman’s former life, one once filled with love and happiness, joy and contentment, all ruined by betrayal.
Sarah stopped rummaging through her purse and stared at the figure. “How does she do it?”
“That’s what I want to know. If my husband had left me for another woman, especially if she were my best friend, I’d spit fire.”
Sarah unscrewed a pill bottle and popped a capsule in her mouth. She closed her eyes, exhaled, then sat back. “Let’s go. It’s not fair to sit here and pick her life apart.”
“What you taking?”
“Tylenol PM. I have a terrible headache.”
Linda blew at her straggly bangs as she picked up speed and drove away. “I’m thankful I’ve never been through anything like that.”
“We’ve all gone through something, to one degree or another.” Sarah snapped her purse shut and struggled to see through a blob of moisture, overcome by the direction her life had taken. A tear escaped anyway.
“What have you been through? You have a fine home, a hunk of a husband, and three of the most beautiful children I’ve ever laid eyes on. You’ve got everything.” Linda eased on her brakes as she approached a stop sign then flipped her left turn signal. “You even have a driver.” Linda bobbed her head, wiggled her shoulders, and sung, “I’m driving Miss Daisy, ya’ll. I’m driving Miss Daisy.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“You know it’s true. You do have everything.”
“Not everything,” Sarah mumbled.
“I never hear you complain. Why would anyone who lives in a six bedroom house that’s perched on forty acres complain anyhow?”
“I have trials. Who doesn’t?”
“Oh, c’mon. How would you like to sit in my seat? I haven’t had much time to myself for a while. Jake is always out of town, leaving me to care for Charly all by myself. Sometimes her seizures last off and on for hours. By the end of the day, I’m worn out.” Linda stretched her eyes. “You want to switch places?”
“Humph. I don’t think you’d like to be in my seat, dear friend.”
“Please don’t go all whiny on me. It doesn’t become you. Besides, there’s no one in this entire town who has it as well as you do. By the way, where do you want to have lunch? I thought we might stop and eat a hamburger at Freddie’s Hamburger Joint before we go to your shop.”
“A hamburger sounds great.”
During the five mile stretch to Freddie’s, Sarah propped her elbow on the car’s window ledge and gnawed on a fingernail. She reflected on her disastrous week while Linda hummed one spiritual tune after another to escape to her own corner of the world.
Sarah rubbed the bump in the bend of her arm, angry it had taken phlebotomists more than twice to tap into a vein. All the advice offered to alleviate the painful sticks never worked. Someone once told her to drink plenty of water the day before giving blood. Sarah rolled her eyes as she recalled the episode. It took almost two hours to retrieve blood because of her many trips to the bathroom. After an acquaintance urged her to exercise and use a warm compress, she gave up because it sounded outright ridiculous.
“Have you lost your ability to hear?”
Sarah winced in pain. “Why are you so violent? That hurts.” Sarah massaged her arm. Linda had one powerful backhand.
“I’ve been talking to you for the last five minutes.”
“Guess my mind was somewhere else.”
“I was asking if you want a root beer float with your burger. And I was hope-hope-hoping you’d have enough pity on me to invite Charly and I to dinner tonight. It would be payback for driving all the way out here to pick you up. Hint. Hint. Anyway, Jake is out of town and I’m trying to avoid the kitchen. Charly won’t care what we eat. And she’d love to see the kids. I can bring the drinks if that’ll help.”
“I’ll be tuckered out by the time we get the shop cleaned up and the yarn priced and put away. I’m expecting a large shipment and I don’t think I’ll have any energy once we’re done. Next week I have two satellite meetings scheduled—one at eight in the morning; another at two o’clock.” Sarah pushed against the headrest. “If I don’t get the new girl trained on the register, I’ll be right back where I started . . . my store in a mess and my shipping and billing backed up.”
“This is really sad. We both live smack dab in the heart of Jacksonville but seems we’re passing each other in the night.”
“Next time we’ll do something fun, okay?” To appease her friend, Sarah added, “You’ve always wanted to go to the Tea Room in Orlando. Let’s plan to go in early spring. Or we can take a family vacation to Miami Beach this summer like we did three years ago.”
“I’d settle for a simple cup of coffee and good conversation, Sarah. Is it really that hard? Does everything need to be so detailed and well-planned out? Coffee and conversation—how hard can it be?”
Linda pulled into the parking lot of Freddie’s Hamburger Joint and parked, but kept the engine running. “We used to sit and have coffee for an hour every day once we got the kids off to school. Now I’m lucky to see you once a month. What’s going on? And please don’t blame it on the store. It’s a cover and I know it.”
Geez! Sarah squeezed the door handle and started to exit the car, hoping for a quick escape, but Linda grabbed her arm.
“Oh, no. I need you to talk to me.” Linda folded her arms across her chest. “I know I talk too much, but I see what’s going on here. You’re not yourself. You seem—what’s the word?—evasive.” Linda gently squeezed Sarah’s forearm. “Have I done something to offend you? Have I put my foot in my mouth and you’re afraid to tell me?”
“I’m just tired. Maybe I’m too preoccupied with the store, the kids, Michael, and the upkeep of the house.”
“You’re overwhelmed?”
Sarah turned away. “I guess I am.”
“Why do I get the feeling there’s more to this?”
“Why would I lie?”
“Remember what happened two years ago?”
“And you said you’d forgiven me for that. Are you gonna beat me up all over again?”
“Look, smarty pants, I wouldn’t dare bring it up if I thought you were being straight with me.”
“Oh, c’mon, Linda.”
“You’ve been acting strange and you know it. You’re not leveling with me and—”
“I’m not keeping anything from you. Why would I?”
“You had no reason to keep secrets from me the last time. Why you couldn’t tell me your mother was dying is beyond me. I’ll never understand it. And if you’ll recall, Sarah, you never offered an explanation. I’m supposed to be your best friend, remember?”
“Didn’t I apologize?”
“You did, but only after I confronted you about it when a pharmaceutical tech mentioned your mother’s death to Jake. Jacksonville isn’t a big city. People talk. You have any idea how it felt to find out about your mother from someone else?”
“You’ve made it very clear to me.”
“It’s a sore spot with me and you know it. I’ve got this nagging feeling you’re doing it again.”
“Linda, can we drop this?”
“So, are you keeping something from me? Why do you always seem distracted? It’s like you’re in another world.” Linda dramatically waved her hands in the air to demonstrate her disgust.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle. Life will return to normal soon.”
“Let me help. I think I’m a good listener. If I’m not, teach me. I’m willing to change.” Linda stared at the roof of her car and made a face. “It’ll be hard, but I can change. And I’m not too proud to help clean your house, if that’s what you need me to do. I can even be your cashier. Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”
“What in the world would I do without you?” Sarah patted Linda’s knee. “You’ve got your hands full. You’re doing enough with Charly. Matter of fact, being here with me today is exactly what I need. Now let’s eat. I’m starved.”
Linda shut off the engine, slid out of her SUV then waited for it to shimmy, pop, and sizzle before she slammed the door and mumbled, “I really need a new car.” She proceeded to follow Sarah inside the restaurant, but stopped and tilted her head. “Are you losing weight?”
Sarah faced Linda before pulling at her sweat pants. “Why do you ask?”
“You’re not as full in the hips as you used to be.” Linda winked. “I bet Michael is loving this.”
Sarah rushed toward Linda and looped their arms together. “What goes on in my bedroom stays in my bedroom. Now, let’s eat so we can get to the shop and unload the yarn.”
“If you say so, skinny woman.”
* * * * *
For four hours, the women barely spoke, each working on opposite ends of the boutique, putting away yarn and accessories in Sarah’s knitting store. In the bottom half of those four hours, Sarah escaped to the bathroom where she turned on her noisy vent and ran water to drown out the retching created each time nausea threatened to overtake her.
Between rubbing watery eyes and blowing her nose from the effects of the dye, Linda was too preoccupied with new skeins of yarn and knitting patterns to notice Sarah’s pale skin or droopy eyes . . .
Until she dropped her home.
* * * * *
“Let me help you take those things inside,” Linda said as she exited the car. “You look like you’re about to collapse.”
“No, I can manage.”
Before Sarah protested a second time, Linda slid two boxes off the back seat, stumbled on a broken piece of concrete, and spilled the contents of one box on the ground. Tiny balls of scrap yarn rolled along the grass. Knitting needles clanged and flipped in the air before spiraling out of sight. Markers, wig heads, and several old scarves Sarah knitted last year lay strewn on the walkway.
But only one thing grabbed Linda’s attention.
In slow motion, Linda sat the second box on the concrete and in a zombie-like stare removed a blood-soaked towel off the ground. Tears welled in her eyes. When she met Sarah’s frightful gaze, pain and hurt, anger and sorrow swelled inside her. After closing in on her friend of sixteen years, she moved even closer, nose-to-nose, and held the towel inches from Sarah’s face. Her nostrils flared. Hot rapid breathing seemed to jeopardize every strand of hair on Sarah’s body.
“You’re sick, aren’t you?” Linda asked. “And this is how I find out?”
“Linda, let me explain. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I just didn’t know how to—”
“You meant to tell me? You meant to tell me! It’s a little too late, don’t you think? How ’bout this. How ’bout I leave you to deal with this all by your lying self? How ’bout that? Huh? Hello world! Let me introduce you to Mrs. Sarah Bannister, superwoman of the year. The town’s hero with the powers to handle any and everything all by her lonesome.” Linda smirked. “Hope Hollywood is paying you well for this gig.” Linda shoved the bloody towel in Sarah’s hand and left in a huff.
“Linda, stop it.”
In a quick about-face, Linda said, “No, you stop it. Best of luck BEST friend. Give me a call before you take your last breath, why don’t you!”
“Linda, wait! Please. Linda, don’t do this. I didn’t mean anything by it. I didn’t think you could handle it. I couldn’t handle it!”
Linda left Sarah standing in the driveway breathing in fumes of burnt rubber as she violently backed out and went home.
For nearly two weeks, Sarah phoned Linda three times a day, but never received a response. She saw her friend once in the grocery store and tried to talk to her, but Linda responded only by saying, “You’re done? Good, cause I’ve got better things to do.”
In the course of three weeks, Sarah’s health worsened. Though the cancer was curable, it baffled doctors why Sarah wasn’t responding to treatment. When one of the nurses suggested Sarah might be depressed, the doctor spoke privately with Michael and together they concocted a plan.
* * * * *
“I know you don’t want to sit outside, honey,” Michael said to Sarah, “but you won’t be out here long. After I spray the kitchen for ants, it’ll only take an hour for the air to clear. I’ll bring you iced tea before I get started.”
“Only an hour?” Sarah asked.
“That’s it. Now, relax. Soon the kids will be home from soccer practice, so enjoy the peace while you can.”
“Well, alright.”
“Hi, Mrs. Bannister.”
Startled by the interruption, Sarah looked past Michael and saw a young girl drop her scooter to the ground as she tried to balance a large bouquet in her hand. “Good morning, Helen. Who are those pretty roses for?”
“They’re for you.” Helen mounted the steps and placed the roses on a table next to Sarah.
“For me? Why would you buy me roses? They look expensive.”
“I didn’t buy them,” Helen said.
“Then where did you get them? Did your mother buy them?”
“Nope. Momma didn’t buy them either. A little birdie told me to deliver them.” Helen snickered. It wasn’t often a ten-year-old was privy to a grownup’s secret.
Sarah looked over her shoulder at her husband. “A little birdie, huh?”
Michael hunched his shoulders and raised his hands. “Not me. I had nothing to do with it. You might take a look at the card.”
“See you, Mrs. Bannister.”
“Bye, Helen.” Sarah removed the card and flipped it over several times. It was slightly larger than most and there was writing on every inch of it, in a handwriting Sarah didn’t recognize. There was no logo; no address or phone number.
Jesus’ greatest gift to us was the forgiveness of sin. For no man has ever gone a day in his life without sinning against God and mankind. Isn’t it nice to know he’s forgiven you?
On the opposite side, someone had scribbled:
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
Sarah looked behind her and discovered Michael had gone inside the house. If he hadn’t sent the flowers, then who had been so bold, so thoughtful?
Once every two weeks thereafter, Michael found an excuse to have Sarah sit on the porch, even on misty days. And each time he did so, little Helen brought a fresh bouquet of roses, reaffirming in her sweet innocent voice that she had no idea who was sending her this gift. She did tell Sarah the florist, with her mother’s permission, paid her ten dollars to deliver them. No doubt whoever was behind this kind gesture wanted to remain anonymous.
The flowers lifted her spirits and gave her something to look forward to. Over time Sarah’s health improved and she was finally able to drive again. She attended school activities for her children, cooked, cleaned, and caught up on her reading. Though she still had difficulty keeping her hands steady enough to begin a new knitting project, she reviewed store orders and paid the bills. When her days became unbearably lonely, playing the piano brought a small measure of comfort. And whenever she thought of Linda, she’d grow anxious for the arrival of a new bouquet of roses.
She’d placed the fresh flowers on a table in the hallway, neatly arranging the Bible verses next to them. God’s word had a way of softening her heart and unveiling her wrong without leaving her with feelings of worthlessness. Sarah didn’t fully understand how God did this, but she welcomed his intervention. With each passing day, an increased craving for that kind of love grew inside her.
Then something peculiar happened.
Though she was strong enough to go camping with her family on Labor Day, Michael insisted she stay and enjoy the solitude. A bit miffed by his over protection, she convinced herself perhaps her family just didn’t want her spoiling their weekend. Maybe they thought a trek along the beach would tire her. What they clearly didn’t understand was she hated to be alone. She enjoyed the noise they made throughout the house—the sibling rivalries, witch hunts for things right under their noses. All of it invigorated her.
Disappointed, she moped all day Friday—ignored the flowers; took no comfort in the Bible verses; wanted no part of the piano.
But early Saturday morning, the doorbell rang. The grandfather clock chimed seven times, leaving her to wonder who in their right mind would be out and about at this hour.
In her bathrobe and slippers, Sarah begrudgingly tromped to the door. She moved the curtains half an inch and discovered an unfamiliar gray SUV parked in the driveway. It was difficult to see through the peep hole. Whoever was on the other side had covered it with their finger.
“Who is it?” Sarah pressed her ear to the door and waited.
No one answered.
She tightened her robe, glancing at the top of the china cabinet where Michael kept the shotgun. Then she squared her shoulders, put on a brave face, and opened the door.
Stunned, Sarah gasped. “Linda?”
Linda had two cups from Starbucks in her hands.
“I brought coffee.”
Unable to move, too afraid to say a single word, Sarah was motionless in the doorway.
“Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?” Linda asked.
“W-Why of course.”
On Linda’s way to the kitchen, she stopped and gazed at the flowers on the baroque table in the hallway. Slightly bending at the waist, she read one of the cards.
If you want a friend, show yourself friendly. (Proverbs 18.24 – KJV)
Linda picked up another Bible verse.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)
Linda handed Sarah one of the coffee cups before carrying the flowers to the kitchen.
“I received flowers just like these,” Linda said as she centered them on the table. “You sent them, didn’t you?”
“No,” Sarah said as she flopped in a chair, “I didn’t send them.”
“Who did?”
Sarah shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea.”
“Did Michael buy them?”
“He swears he didn’t.”
“They come every Thursday?” Linda asked as she arched one eyebrow in curiosity.
“Yes, they do.” Sarah squinted. “You don’t suppose Jake had anything to do with this?”
Linda nodded as a smile emerged. “If you ask me, I think both our husbands had a hand in this.”
“Why are you here, Linda? This can’t be about flowers. I thought you were still mad at me and never wanted to see me again.”
“I am and I didn’t.”
“Ooookay. That’s clear as a bell.”
“It’s those blasted Bible verses. It’s God’s fault. He really got to me.”
“I’ve tried to shake them, too, but I can’t. Sometimes . . . Sometimes the truth hurts.”
“I thought it was your clever way of saying you were sorry.”
“Afraid I’m not that creative.”
“This is really immature of me, I know, but I don’t want to forgive you. I want to stay mad at you.”
“I’ve not been a good friend to you. Linda, I’ve acted like an idiot,” Sarah admitted. “You didn’t deserve the mean-spirited way I treated you.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“If I had, I wouldn’t have done it. I don’t think I’ve ever put myself in your shoes. Never considered how you’d feel.”
“Well, the elephant in the room won’t go away until you put a pin in it. No matter where this leads, we’ve got to talk it out.”
Sarah bowed her head. “I can’t begin to tell you how ashamed I am.”
“Save it for later. Right now, I want to explain something to you. And you need to listen real good cause I’m only gonna say this once.”
Sarah nodded in humble obedience.
“It was a betrayal of trust . . . what you did. Here we are the best of friends, two people who have shared everything in the world together. We’ve been there for each other through thick and thin—at each other’s wedding; at the birth of our kids; consoling each other when our husbands often lost their minds. But when faced with the one thing that might take you from us, you up and decided to keep it hidden from me.”
“I’m—”
“Hush! I’m not done yet. Other than God, I thought I knew more about you than anyone else in the world. So, I find all of this hard to believe. You stabbed me right here!” Linda pounded her chest with her fist. Her face turned beet red. Tears flowed effortlessly. “It didn’t cross your mind that I cared?”
“It was too hard.”
Linda held up her hand, motioning for Sarah to stop. “Don’t you dare lecture me about what’s hard. After all we’ve been through, did you truly expect me to walk away and pretend nothing was wrong? So, what was your game plan? Was I supposed to tell you to take a pill and see you in a year or two? Or maybe you thought so little of me and concluded I was too weak to handle your illness.
“You know, nothing you’ve done in the last few years has made any sense and it’s time you explain yourself,” Linda continued. “I’m sick and tired of filling in the blanks, making excuses for your behavior, exerting effort to stay positive about our relationship. So, here is your opportunity. Explain away.”
Linda waited. And waited.
Sarah’s face was as hard as stone, her eyes looking past Linda and deep into places far beyond the kitchen walls. Impatience got the best of Linda and before she knew it, she snatched up her purse and rushed to the front door, a steep waterfall drenching her face, her loss deeper than the breadth of an ocean.
“Linda, wait!”
With one hand on the doorknob, Linda glanced over her shoulder. “This is your last chance and I mean it.”
Sarah took Linda by the arm and led her back to the kitchen. While rubbing her hands together, Sarah paced the kitchen floor, later massaging her temples before taking a seat at the table. The coffee was cold. She took long sips of it anyway, circling her index finger along the rim of the cup, forming words without making a sound, doing everything possible to come face-to-face with her past.
“There are things about me that you don’t know. Deep things,” Sarah said while staring at the cup. “Please don’t expect me to share them all. Some things I’m entitled to keep to myself.”
“How deep?”
Sarah rubbed her brow in a nervous gesture as she searched for the right words. “I ran away from home when I was thirteen and—”
“Noooo kidding. What happened?” Linda sat her purse on an empty chair, anchored her forearms on the table, and leaned forward.
“I went missing for two weeks. The men who forced me into their truck held me captive, promising me day after day to bring me home. Once the police found me and reunited me with my parents, everyone soon discovered I had trust issues. Therapists kept telling my parents to give it time.” Sarah shook her head then stared at the kitchen tile. “I didn’t get better,” she said, weeping and wiping snot with the back of her hand. “Over time I developed some pretty good coping skills and I usually do okay in non-life-threatening situations. But when the doctors told me my mother was dying, I shut down and went into survival mode. My struggle to get through my mother’s suffering ended up plunging me back in that shack with those men.”
“Is that why you shut me out?”
“I think so. But it’s not the only reason.” Sarah rolled the coffee cup in the palms of her hands as though the cold brew would soothe her, protect her in some way. “I’m afraid I’m just odd when it comes to this kind of pressure.”
Linda didn’t respond, but rather searched Sarah’s eyes with great intensity.
“Needless to say, when the doctors told me I had cancer, the news thrust me back into that shack. This time I couldn’t crawl out of that dingy place to save my life. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t making any progress. A part of me gave up and died. Everything ran together—days, nights, dreams, the stench of that shack haunted me.
“With so much time to think,” Sarah said as she proceeded, “I realized all my coping skills had dwindled down to nothing. I felt helpless; like a corpse waiting to breathe her last. There was no one to hold me up. I couldn’t stop falling.”
“Why didn’t you confide in me?” Linda reached for Sarah’s hand, but she pulled away, her eyes sad and filled with tears.
Sarah shook her head. “After the way I treated you, I didn’t deserve your help. Sometimes I feel as if the scars are so deep that I don’t have the energy it takes to explain any of this. Until today, I didn’t know how to explain it. I was scared. After putting on a front for the children, a positive attitude for Michael, I didn’t have anything left.” Sarah took in her surroundings—the immaculate light fixtures in the ceiling, the pristine marbled countertops, the expensive curtains. “Here I am in this big house with all my beautiful things, with four living and breathing family members and I’ve never felt so alone in my life.”
“Prayer didn’t comfort you?”
Sarah bowed. “I didn’t believe. Hope had become a distant memory for me. Odd, though. I didn’t feel like I was stuck on an island. It was much worse. I felt as if I was in the middle of traffic or on a bustling street corner with everyone bumping into me but no one taking the time to talk.” Sarah hunched her shoulders. “No one knew I existed. Or maybe they did and just didn’t care.”
“You have plenty of people who care.” Linda propped one hand under her chin. “Tell me, what brought you out of it?”
Sarah lifted a rose and twirled it. “These little gems. Not knowing where they came from stirred my curiosity and distracted me from self-pity. They gave me hope.” As she returned the rose to the vase, she admitted, “I pretended they were from you. Good thing, too, because if my health hadn’t improved, I think the doctors would have given up on me. I don’t think anyone expected me to pull through. Michael was beyond worried.” Sarah hitched her chin toward the flowers. “These beauties reminded me of God’s handiwork. The Bible verses revived my soul.”
“How is your health now?”
“I’m in remission.”
“Wish you’d allowed me to experience your pain. Seems like there’s a gigantic wall between us and I can’t move it out of the way. I’ve been feeling that way for a long time. It didn’t begin with your mother dying. It began days before we stopped having our morning coffee. I’ve spent many nights fretting over this, never fully understanding, but always dying to know what went wrong. Always, always blaming myself.”
Sarah kept both eyes fixed on her cup as an awkward silence settled in the room. Anxious, she rubbed her thighs, intimidated to ask the most obvious. A large lump formed in her throat, as though a million dust mites had clogged her windpipe. Her shoulders bobbed as she wept. “What about us? Will we never have family barbeques anymore? Will I need to pretend not to see you on the street? Have I totally ruined our friendship?”
“Yes, you have.” There was mockery in Linda’s voice, an unapologetic snide which released small snippets of pent-up anger.
With both hands, Sarah covered her face and cried uncontrollably before saying, “So, this is it? There’s no hope for us.”
“There’s hope. There’s plenty of hope.”
“Then tell me what to do. I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?” Linda asked in between her own tears.
“Absolutely.”
“I think we should start over. Pretend we’ve just met. Plan our wedding. Predict how many children we’ll have. I’ll tell you all about me and you’ll tell me all about you; about life, death, prosperity, loneliness, old boyfriends, bullies, every single thing. But I want to end up marrying Michael.”
Both women laughed. They reached across the kitchen table, clasped hands and squeezed tight.
“Not possible. He’s already taken,” Sarah said with the confidence of a woman who had it all. She felt renewed, reenergized, as if someone had thrown her a lifeline.
“Well, I tried.” Linda dug in her purse and tossed Sarah a tissue then used another one to clean her own face. After blowing her nose, she filled the room with laughter. “Did I ever tell you ’bout the time I got caught kissing Stanley Peterson at lunch when I was in the sixth grade?”
“No, you didn’t. Did you get expelled?”
“No, but momma grounded me for two weeks. Now, tell me when the doctors first diagnosed you with cancer. And don’t leave anything out. Cause if you do—”
“I won’t. I can’t afford to lose my friend for a third time. You mean too much to me.”
“Alright, don’t go all mushy on me. Can you make a pot of coffee and cook some eggs? You owe me a meal. And start talking.”
“9Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.
10For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one
who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Author’s Note: Loving your friends and neighbors, and your sisters and brothers in Christ is a risky business, but a risk we must take or we’ll find ourselves alone, with no one to lift us up.
by Donna Comeaux
for the Ruby for Women October and November Issues
September 22, 2017
Epilogue
Though the characters and events in this short story are fictional, they resemble my real life experience with a friend who was close to me. Linda’s feelings of betrayal are undeniably deep and painful. Although she didn’t completely let go of Sarah’s friendship, without a doubt she understood their relationship couldn’t move forward without putting a pin in the elephant in the room. Their differences needed a resolution. Love required they come to an understanding and reach a new level of respect for one another.
It is important to address issues which hinder your relationships. False pretenses are merely lies wedged between friends that end up rotting the marrow of your bones. If these lies go unattended, they will plunge you into a lifetime of misery and heartache and spoil your walk with Jesus Christ.
Free yourself by first preparing your heart to forgive. This comes through the reading of God’s word and your humble surrender to the Holy One. Once you surrender, it’s then and only then that you’ll be able to offer opportunities to those who have wronged you to repent. Either go to them, or clothe your heart and mind and countenance with godliness so they can approach you.
This is hard.
I’m still a work in progress.
