“Dear most gracious Heavenly Father, my heart is heavy and burdened. I need your divine direction for my…” Tom stopped. He shook his head at his plastic religious prayer. He needed to be real.
“Jesus, I’m ticked off that my dad’s bills have become my responsibility and I can’t keep up with my own. It’s not fair. My life is crumbling around me and my reputation is flying out the window. I don’t want to be a hypocrite.”
Tom dropped from his knees and sat leaning against his bed. “I’m supposed to be above reproach as a church leader and I can’t even pay my own bills.”
Tom sat quietly with his eyes closed, hoping for the Lord to give him a word of encouragement. Instead, thoughts of the unfinished plumbing job in his kitchen raced through his head. He was tired of washing pots and pans in the bathtub. Tom wondered if Bob would ever return to finish the job.
“Lord, will you at least remind Bob to finish the job?” Tom took a deep cleansing breath and readied himself for bed.
* * *
It was a beautiful Saturday morning and Tom was thankful for a brand new day and the opportunities it would bring. His attitude was positive and he didn’t mind having to wash his breakfast dishes in the bathtub for another day. Somehow it was okay and he was expectant of what the Lord might do before the day ended.
The phone rang and interrupted Tom’s thoughts. Bob happened to be in the area and asked to come by to finish the plumbing job.
“Sure, I’ll be here all morning,” Tom said with a smile on his face.
Tom was happy to know that God was bringing closure to another irritant in his life; reducing his stress to better handle his overwhelming bills. The phone rang.
“Hello, this is Tom.”
Concern fell upon Tom’s face. His sister needed to borrow another $1,000 to pay for their dad’s cardiologist. Sarah quickly pointed out that she would pay him back over her next four paychecks, as she had promised to help with the expenses. Tom rolled his eyes and didn’t know what to say. His checking account was under $250 and he was planning on depositing his check later that morning. He really didn’t want to be strapped for another two weeks.
“Sarah, I’m not sure what I can do. I’ll have to crunch the numbers and find out if I have that kind of money after my bills are paid.”
The doorbell interrupted the conversation. It was Bob. He went right to work under the kitchen sink and left Tom to his call.
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do,” grimaced Tom. “Yes, I’ll help to whatever level I can.”
Tom hung up and slumped down in his recliner. He knew the plumber would expect a check and he’d have to figure out what was needed to live on for the next two weeks. Tom bit his lip as he realized the consequences of missing a single bill.
Bob entered the room and handed Tom the final plumbing bill for $311.
Tom noticed that the bill included a $50 charge for something he understood Bob was “throwing in for free” during one of his earlier visits. He just nodded his head and started to look for his checkbook. Tom wanted the project over and wasn’t about to argue a forgotten freebie.
Lifting up a piece of paper from his desk, Tom spotted the checkbook and suddenly remembered several conversations with others complaining about Bob saying one thing and his bills reflecting another. He remembered his neighbor’s complaint about Bob verbalizing the price at $600 and the bill showing up in the mail at $827. Tom decided to ask Bob about it in a tactful manner.
“Bob, in my bill you have $50 listed for…”
“You don’t know what kind of a great deal you’re getting!” shouted Bob sternly.
“No, I….”
“On typical jobs like this I usually charge two times what you’re paying for…”
“Hold on Bob, I was just…”
“I’m doing you a huge favor,” shouted Bob. “You have no idea what a blessing I’m being to you. People who are ignorant and demanding shouldn’t be…”
“Stop, wait Bob,” Tom tried to get a word in, “You cut me off before I…”
“I didn’t cut you off, I interjected because you said something that wasn’t right. You are…”
“But Bob, I wasn’t able to finish my…”
“I have every right to interject into the conversation. I mean, what else could you have said after your comment. You were just going to complain about your bill and you have no idea what I’ve done for you and the great deal I’ve…”
“Bob I’m not arguing your bill, I’m paying it.” Tom quickly spun around and wrote out the check for the full amount and handed it to Bob.
“Well, what could you have said, I mean you accused me – What were you accusing me of?.”
“Bob, I wasn’t accusing you of anything,” Tom sighed. “I was just going to ask you a question.”
“What kind of question?”
“You know Bob, it’s clear that this isn’t a good time to continue the conversation.”
“There is no time like the present,” added Bob. “You might want to consider stepping down from leadership in church.”
“What does leadership have to do with this conversation?”
“Leaders are supposed to be above reproach.”
Tom looked at Bob dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe that his leadership abilities were in question due to miscommunication or a misunderstanding. He knew that Bob was dead wrong. He couldn’t imagine why those he helped had to be put on hold until his life was perfect. Tom looked at Bob, wondering what was next.
“You really need to consider stepping down until you are righteous,” demanded Bob.
It was clear that Bob was not going to hear a different perspective. For the sake of their relationship, Tom decided to humble himself.
“Bob, I’m sorry that my comments offended you and that you felt like I was accusing you, I wasn’t,” clarified Tom. “Since the last time we talked, I’ve watched my savings account dwindle down to nothing because of my dad’s medical bills and I just received a package yesterday, I’ve been laid off.”
“Oh, well I’m sorry to hear that,” Bob said in a calm voice. “I know what it’s like to be in a difficult position. Maybe you should consider stepping down from ministry until God turns your situation around.”
“I will give that consideration.”
“Yeah, sometimes we just need to look inward and find out what type of dross is inside of us and allow God’s heat through our circumstances to boil the dross to the top and get that sin out of our lives.”
Sin, thought Tom. What kind of sin is behind this and why would God stop me from helping those who need it. He took in a deep breath and decided not to say a word, as Bob was not in a position to discuss matters of the heart.
“Tom, I’m really sorry for your situation and I can feel for you. There is not much I can do to help you, but I will do what I can.”
Bob held the check up in front of Tom’s face and slowly tore it up. Each tear was deliberate and dramatic. Tom just stood there mystified. Bob reached out and put his hand on Tom’s shoulder.
“Our dear Heavenly Father,” prayed Bob. “You know the feelings that Tom is experiencing and I ask you to reveal what your will is for his life. Make him a humble man by taking away the pride he is feeling.”
Tom’s mind reeled. He felt like the most prideful man he knew was praying for him to be humble. He then remembered the story of the three nails and how he could figuratively crucify his flesh daily by nailing his feet to the cross and one of his hands, but he needed someone else to nail his final hand to the cross. He realized that God had chosen Bob for the task and he was doing it rather well by being aggressive, irritating and generous.
“Lord,” Tom added to the prayer. “Search my heart and remove whatever pride I have in me. Draw me closer to you during these difficult days and bless…”
There it was.
Tom realized he needed to bless the man behind his third nail. He would never forget how God used Bob to get his attention with the tearing up of his check. The sight of it by the man who others complained about, was eternally etched into his mind as a reminder to search his heart and trust God regardless of circumstances.
“…Bless Bob for reminding me to never see myself more highly than I should, amen.”
“Well Tom, I’ll be praying for you and consider dropping out of ministry.”
“Thanks Bob for being so generous.”
As Bob left the house, Tom remembered asking God the night before if he should step back from ministry. He chuckled as he realized that in Bob’s zealousness, he had taught him to persevere in ministry regardless of how humbling it may be during difficult times. It was decided, Tom would stay in ministry.
“The verse is right,” said Tom. “God chooses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise and the weak things to shame the strong. I will continue in ministry regardless of how I feel.”
Copyright © 2009 By CJ Powers
All Rights Reserved.
Tom realized he needed to bless the man behind his third nail. He would never forget how God used Bob to get his attention with the tearing up of his check. The sight of it by the man who others complained about, was eternally etched into his mind as a reminder to search his heart and trust God regardless of circumstances.
“…Bless Bob for reminding me to never see myself more highly than I should, amen.”
“Well Tom, I’ll be praying for you and consider dropping out of ministry.”
“Thanks Bob for being so generous.”
As Bob left the house, Tom remembered asking God the night before if he should step back from ministry. He chuckled as he realized that in Bob’s zealousness, he had taught him to persevere in ministry regardless of how humbling it may be during difficult times. It was decided, Tom would stay in ministry.
“The verse is right,” said Tom. “God chooses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise and the weak things to shame the strong. I will continue in ministry regardless of how I feel.”
Copyright © 2009 By CJ Powers
All Rights Reserved.
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