"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
In my little community of 16 neighbours, our homes are clustered around a grassy courtyard and it is important that the atmosphere is harmonious because we are living cheek by jowl. One lady, Barbara, had been ostracised by many of our neighbours and had even been called a witch, because she has a strange way of acting at times and a caustic tongue that annoys the others. I have never experienced any problems because I watch my thinking and quickly eradicate any whisperings of mortal mind. As a result Barbara has always been friendly and courteous whenever we bump into each other, although we do not see each other very often. I refuse to enter into any gossip about Barbara and I mentally cancel out the discordant suggestions.
One day, when I was feeding the birds behind my ground floor flat, I saw her walking along the path behind a low wall next to my hedge, and she seemed very sad. I said “Hello, Barbara,” and immediately she poured out how distressed she was after an altercation with someone in our community who was once her best friend. I explained to her gently that she could change the way she was thinking about this woman, who is a great character. Whenever she is upset by something or someone she lets rip in a big voice, but afterwards forgets all about it and does not harbour grudges. I said that by now she wouldn’t even be thinking about the incident but would have already moved on from it. I said to Barbara that she should stop mulling it over and instead remove the hurt feelings from her own thought. Then there would be absolutely no effect. I grinned at her and said, “Be like a duck, let the water – this woman’s comments – slide off, they can’t hurt you.”
Barbara looked so grateful and then said, “Would you be on my side?” Thinking quickly, I said I do not ever take sides, I try to see people as they really are, kind and thoughtful. I grinned again and said, “But I’ll be ready with the bandages!” and that made Barbara laugh. Since then she has been experiencing mobility problems and a neighbour who helps her walk into the village to shop has asked me if I would help Barbara too when she is not here. She said, “She trusts you, and is very fond of you.” So of course I do my bit.
The other day I walked Barbara to the surgery and on the way back she asked me if I was a preacher. (The other friend, who believes in God and knows that I attend church too and that, until January 2016, I led the services, must have shared this with Barbara, hence the question). I was able to tell Barbara that I had finished my term of office as Reader and was now a member of the congregation. There were no more questions but she thanked me for my kindness. It’s lovely to see the Christ at work!