Pain—part 1

A few years ago, I attended a women’s ministries prayer day.* To be transparent, I used to hate these types of events. Because of my work and travel schedule, I thought other women saw me as an inadequate mother and wife. I rarely had time for tea parties or retreats. Yet one of my friends talked me into attending an event after I moved to Houston. After parking the car, I checked into the hotel and entered the meeting room a few minutes after my friend had.

The hotel ballroom was decorated with symbols of the cross and a woman praying. Then I saw my friend sitting near the front at a table with someone I knew from church, someone with whom I had had an issue in the past. Somewhat shocked, I said to myself, Oh boy! This is going to be interesting. I quickly decided there was no way I would walk to the front in front of all those people. I was already late, and I knew this woman from my church did not care for me. Previously, I had been cordial to her, but I had avoided her ever since we’d argued a few years earlier. So I decided to sit in the back.

Yet my friend indicated that she wanted me to sit with her. I realized that I had never told her about the confrontation with this other woman. After my friend sent a few text messages, I moved to the front table with her.

I’m a Christian lady from the South. My mother always taught me to speak when seeing someone, so I sat down at the table and spoke to the woman. Actually, there was no way to avoid her, as she was the only other one sitting at our table. We exchanged the proverbial, “How are you doing?” Then silence reigned.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that called for grace, but your hurt feelings from the past pulled you in another direction? That’s the best time to claim God’s promise to help you be tenderhearted. Why not say a prayer today for someone who has hurt you? Ask God for His heart of tenderness toward others.

Paula Sanders Blackwell