Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Home Group (11/29/07)
-
TITLE: Let's go! | Previous Challenge Entry
By Malin Boman
12/05/07 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
“Oh, do we really have to?” Jan begged, trying not to miss her focus on where she was reading on the page. “It is so boring, I really don’t get anything out of home group any more, you know that honey and I much rather sit here tonight, enjoying this book and your company.
By now Dan had entered the living room reaching for her tea cup to take it back to the kitchen. ‘Well, you know very well that we have promised to be there every week, for Bob and Sue’s sake and we do want to keep our promise, don’t we? And besides I really sense that we are to go to bless others rather than always receiving for ourselves you know’, Dan replied, trying to catch her eyes.
Dragging her feet and her heart Jan slowly got of the couch, closed the book and headed for her jacket. She felt so weak, so not in the mood to face some of those people that was part of their home group. For some time now she had felt so discouraged by their comments and lack of their understanding during those meetings where unity and love and encouragement should have been felt. It had been so hard not to take things they had said to heart and to love them and keep going there every week.
Her heart was torn because she really cared for Bob & Sue, the home group leaders. They had been such great friends for so long and they themselves had felt discouraged at times too. Jan knew that they needed Bob’s and her support through this time right now, this valley they all seemed to be walking through.
During their short drive over there Jan had quietly been praying, asking God to forgive her of her stinking attitude and her selfish ways. It had not been easy, a large lump in her throat had been wanting to come up to the surface the entire trip and she had to keep her tears away from spilling out onto her cheeks.
Every fiber of her being wanted to fight this, it wanted to feel hurt and unloved, but she knew that this was not about her emotions, this was about her choice to forgive and forget and keep loving people that should be easy to love but was so hard to love.
Dan knew this was hard for Jan; he had been there himself, wanting to give this whole home group a flick a few times. Things had upset him at times but he knew that God could come through, if we kept the right attitude. He was hoping that Jan was willing.
A short time later Bob & Sue arrived. Everyone had gathered in small groups and laughter could be heard and teas and coffee was getting ready to be served and so the evening began.
Before they knew it, the evening was over and it was time to leave. It had been such an incredible night.
Jan had been swept into the conversation as soon as they started and without even thinking about it she had felt such a deep friendship and understanding with those people she usually found hard to handle. An amazing love and acceptance had flooded her heart as she was speaking and laughing with them.
What an amazing night.
Jan was still in awe of how things had unfolded during the evening as she stepped out of the car and walk into her home. For the first time she seemed to have understood these people better and where they came from. Their usually strange and cold comments had not affected her and she had been able to be understood by them in a new way.
As she dropped her head onto her pillow that night, she asked God what had changed. He gently spoke to her “With a clean heart I can do so much!”
She hoped the week would go fast.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
