Dealing With Sin
Illustration
Stories
John entered the room without saying a word and took a seat at one end of the table.
“Are you okay, John?” David asked from the other end.
“I think I need a few minutes.”
David tapped a quick note on his cell phone. “I’ve asked Carol if we can start a bit later than we intended.” His phone vibrated. “She says that works for her and she’ll drop down in about twenty minutes.”
John looked at his watch and them slumped back in his chair. “I just never...it’s hard to explain.”
“Take your time.” David waited patiently as John collected himself. “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to talk. We can just sit here in silence until Carol shows up.”
“Thanks.” John reached into his bag and took a drink from his water bottle. “If you don’t mind talking about it, it might be helpful.”
“I’m happy to be a sounding board for you.” David got up and closed the door to the room. “So, what’s up?”
“Monica.” John sighed. “I found out that my daughter has been lying to us.”
“About?”
“The life she’s been living. She told us she was doing one thing and now we find out that she has been stringing us along and now is in trouble.” John clenched his fists. “I am just so angry at her. It’s really hard to explain without a long story which I don’t think I’m up to sharing.”
David held up his hand. “You know what? I can listen just as well without knowing details. I’m sorry that this has happened to you. How is Jean taking it?”
“Jean is furious too. She is so angry that she can’t speak to Monica.” John spread his hands. “Honestly, David, I’m thinking of disowning our daughter.”
“She has really hurt you, hasn’t she?”
John nodded. “What she did was unforgivable.”
David took a deep breath. “So, what does disowning her say to Jean?”
“Jean? She would be all for it.” John narrowed her eyes. “That wasn’t what you meant, was it? You want me to think about something different.”
David nodded. “You told me that Jean has never really believed in God and struggles with Christianity.”
“Yeah, it’s been a sore point in our marriage,” John said. “When I told her that I was going to raise Monica in the church she wasn’t happy initially and then grudgingly let me.”
“How did you find out what Monica did?”
“She told me. She came over and confessed to me what had been going on.” John paused. “She has really made a mess of things.”
“So why do you suppose she talked to you and not your wife first?”
John took a deep breath. “I’ve always been closer to her than she has been to her mother. Don’t get me wrong -- they love each other, but they have very different ways of looking at the world.”
“Do you suppose there’s another reason too? Do you think that maybe she hopes you might be there for her?”
John opened his mouth and then closed it. He looked down. “I think she realizes how bad she messed up and is looking for help.”
“Can you help her?”
“I honestly don’t know.” John looked at his friend. “I’m so angry and disappointed with her. She knew better.”
David said nothing.
John sighed. “I have to forgive her, don’t I?”
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s the only way I can have a relationship with my daughter. I know she needs me now more than ever.” John tilted his head. “That’s why you mentioned Jean, didn’t you? You know that if I don’t forgive Monica that Jean will disown her.”
“Either that or she’ll assume that your witness to Jesus is nothing but hypocrisy, yes.”
John sat back in his chair. “It is never easy, is it?”
David shook his head. “No, it isn’t. The good news is that we never have to go through this alone. You know you can talk to me about anything and there are some good people in the church I can point you to as well. The truth is, my friend, that no one has been exactly where you are but we are all here for you.”
“Thanks,” John said. “Can I ask one more thing before Carol joins us?”
“Anything.”
“Can you pray with me?”
“Absolutely,” David said.
Together they bowed their heads and asked God for wisdom, for strength, and for the grace to face the troubles of the day and the days to come. As they prayed John also thanked God for the fellow Christians who were walking with him to help him both to forgive and to be the best witness to Jesus that he could be.
*****************************************
StoryShare, October 11, 2020 issue.
Copyright 2020 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“Are you okay, John?” David asked from the other end.
“I think I need a few minutes.”
David tapped a quick note on his cell phone. “I’ve asked Carol if we can start a bit later than we intended.” His phone vibrated. “She says that works for her and she’ll drop down in about twenty minutes.”
John looked at his watch and them slumped back in his chair. “I just never...it’s hard to explain.”
“Take your time.” David waited patiently as John collected himself. “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to talk. We can just sit here in silence until Carol shows up.”
“Thanks.” John reached into his bag and took a drink from his water bottle. “If you don’t mind talking about it, it might be helpful.”
“I’m happy to be a sounding board for you.” David got up and closed the door to the room. “So, what’s up?”
“Monica.” John sighed. “I found out that my daughter has been lying to us.”
“About?”
“The life she’s been living. She told us she was doing one thing and now we find out that she has been stringing us along and now is in trouble.” John clenched his fists. “I am just so angry at her. It’s really hard to explain without a long story which I don’t think I’m up to sharing.”
David held up his hand. “You know what? I can listen just as well without knowing details. I’m sorry that this has happened to you. How is Jean taking it?”
“Jean is furious too. She is so angry that she can’t speak to Monica.” John spread his hands. “Honestly, David, I’m thinking of disowning our daughter.”
“She has really hurt you, hasn’t she?”
John nodded. “What she did was unforgivable.”
David took a deep breath. “So, what does disowning her say to Jean?”
“Jean? She would be all for it.” John narrowed her eyes. “That wasn’t what you meant, was it? You want me to think about something different.”
David nodded. “You told me that Jean has never really believed in God and struggles with Christianity.”
“Yeah, it’s been a sore point in our marriage,” John said. “When I told her that I was going to raise Monica in the church she wasn’t happy initially and then grudgingly let me.”
“How did you find out what Monica did?”
“She told me. She came over and confessed to me what had been going on.” John paused. “She has really made a mess of things.”
“So why do you suppose she talked to you and not your wife first?”
John took a deep breath. “I’ve always been closer to her than she has been to her mother. Don’t get me wrong -- they love each other, but they have very different ways of looking at the world.”
“Do you suppose there’s another reason too? Do you think that maybe she hopes you might be there for her?”
John opened his mouth and then closed it. He looked down. “I think she realizes how bad she messed up and is looking for help.”
“Can you help her?”
“I honestly don’t know.” John looked at his friend. “I’m so angry and disappointed with her. She knew better.”
David said nothing.
John sighed. “I have to forgive her, don’t I?”
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s the only way I can have a relationship with my daughter. I know she needs me now more than ever.” John tilted his head. “That’s why you mentioned Jean, didn’t you? You know that if I don’t forgive Monica that Jean will disown her.”
“Either that or she’ll assume that your witness to Jesus is nothing but hypocrisy, yes.”
John sat back in his chair. “It is never easy, is it?”
David shook his head. “No, it isn’t. The good news is that we never have to go through this alone. You know you can talk to me about anything and there are some good people in the church I can point you to as well. The truth is, my friend, that no one has been exactly where you are but we are all here for you.”
“Thanks,” John said. “Can I ask one more thing before Carol joins us?”
“Anything.”
“Can you pray with me?”
“Absolutely,” David said.
Together they bowed their heads and asked God for wisdom, for strength, and for the grace to face the troubles of the day and the days to come. As they prayed John also thanked God for the fellow Christians who were walking with him to help him both to forgive and to be the best witness to Jesus that he could be.
*****************************************
StoryShare, October 11, 2020 issue.
Copyright 2020 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
