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Authors: Melody Carlson
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feels you have strong leadership potential.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He says you have a servant’s heart and an obedient spirit—wonderful traits in a believer.”
I sit up straighter, genuinely touched that my pastor has noticed these things about me.
“Now, I have a favor to ask you, Ruth, but I want you to really pray about it before you answer.”
“Okay.”
“Well, as you know, women’s Bible studies start up next week. And I realize that you’ve been attending Laura Fletcher’s Bible study for several years, but I would like for you to come to my study, and I would like to have you as my prayer partner.”
“Your prayer partner?” I’m overwhelmed by this unexpected invitation.
Cynthia Leman’s prayer partner
. That’s a position only a spiritually mature person would be asked to fill.
“Yes.” She sighs. “You probably heard that Susan and Jeff Saunders relocated to the East Coast last spring. I had to finish out the year without a real prayer partner.”
“I remember that now. What a loss. Susan must’ve been a wonderful prayer partner.” I’d always admired Susan. She seemed so together and so deeply spiritual.
Cynthia nods. “I miss her. But I’ve been praying for her replacement,and I think you could be a wonderful support to me. Would you prayerfully consider this?”
“You can count on it!”
“Thank you.” Then she opens the passenger door. “And I won’t take up any more of your valuable quiet time.”
“Oh, that’s okay.”
“See you at church tonight?”
“Certainly.”
“And maybe you’ll know your answer by then.”
I nod. But I feel sure that I already know my answer. It would be a huge honor to be Cynthia’s prayer partner! And suddenly my gloom about my life and my son and my husband seems to evaporate like the drizzle that’s just letting up. It feels like the Lord is opening doors for me, amazingly moving me into a position of real leadership at our church! How long I have wished for something like this to happen to me. And now it is! I am so excited that I sing praise songs all the way back home.
Rick is in the garage when I get home, changing the oil in his pickup. I go out and say a cheerful hello to him.
He smiles cautiously. “Nice to see you’re not still mad at me.”
I wave my hand. “No no … And I’m sorry that I sort of blamed you about Matthew last night. Will you forgive me?”
“No problem.”
“Is Matthew up yet?”
He nods as he checks the level on the dipstick. “But he’s not feeling too great.”
“Good.” I want him to suffer as much as possible. I want him to learn that drinking will only bring him trouble.
“And I did have a more serious talk with him.” Rick wipes his hands on an oily blue rag.
“Did Matthew listen?”
“He seemed to. He said he definitely doesn’t plan to drink again.”
“Do you think he really meant it?”
Rick shrugs. “Hard to say. What would you say if you were in his shoes?”
“Well, I do know that he’s not working tonight, so I think I’ll make him come to church with the girls and me.”
“Guess that can’t hurt.”
“Can’t hurt?” I frown at him.
“I mean, if that’s part of his punishment.”
“Going to church is
not
punishment, Rick.”
“Maybe not for you. But it is for some people.” He sticks his head under the hood of his pickup, almost as if he wants to escape my reaction to this statement.
I stand on the step that goes to the house, and I briefly consider telling him about Cynthia’s invitation. But something stops me. Perhaps that would be like casting my pearls before swine. Not that I think my husband’s a pig exactly. But sometimes he just doesn’t understand spiritual things.
“I replaced that three hundred dollars in the checking account,” I call out to him as I open the door to the house.
“Huh?” He sticks his head out and looks at me with a curious expression, and it’s clear I have his full attention now. It figures that
“Really?”
“Yes. He says you have a servant’s heart and an obedient spirit—wonderful traits in a believer.”
I sit up straighter, genuinely touched that my pastor has noticed these things about me.
“Now, I have a favor to ask you, Ruth, but I want you to really pray about it before you answer.”
“Okay.”
“Well, as you know, women’s Bible studies start up next week. And I realize that you’ve been attending Laura Fletcher’s Bible study for several years, but I would like for you to come to my study, and I would like to have you as my prayer partner.”
“Your prayer partner?” I’m overwhelmed by this unexpected invitation.
Cynthia Leman’s prayer partner
. That’s a position only a spiritually mature person would be asked to fill.
“Yes.” She sighs. “You probably heard that Susan and Jeff Saunders relocated to the East Coast last spring. I had to finish out the year without a real prayer partner.”
“I remember that now. What a loss. Susan must’ve been a wonderful prayer partner.” I’d always admired Susan. She seemed so together and so deeply spiritual.
Cynthia nods. “I miss her. But I’ve been praying for her replacement,and I think you could be a wonderful support to me. Would you prayerfully consider this?”
“You can count on it!”
“Thank you.” Then she opens the passenger door. “And I won’t take up any more of your valuable quiet time.”
“Oh, that’s okay.”
“See you at church tonight?”
“Certainly.”
“And maybe you’ll know your answer by then.”
I nod. But I feel sure that I already know my answer. It would be a huge honor to be Cynthia’s prayer partner! And suddenly my gloom about my life and my son and my husband seems to evaporate like the drizzle that’s just letting up. It feels like the Lord is opening doors for me, amazingly moving me into a position of real leadership at our church! How long I have wished for something like this to happen to me. And now it is! I am so excited that I sing praise songs all the way back home.
Rick is in the garage when I get home, changing the oil in his pickup. I go out and say a cheerful hello to him.
He smiles cautiously. “Nice to see you’re not still mad at me.”
I wave my hand. “No no … And I’m sorry that I sort of blamed you about Matthew last night. Will you forgive me?”
“No problem.”
“Is Matthew up yet?”
He nods as he checks the level on the dipstick. “But he’s not feeling too great.”
“Good.” I want him to suffer as much as possible. I want him to learn that drinking will only bring him trouble.
“And I did have a more serious talk with him.” Rick wipes his hands on an oily blue rag.
“Did Matthew listen?”
“He seemed to. He said he definitely doesn’t plan to drink again.”
“Do you think he really meant it?”
Rick shrugs. “Hard to say. What would you say if you were in his shoes?”
“Well, I do know that he’s not working tonight, so I think I’ll make him come to church with the girls and me.”
“Guess that can’t hurt.”
“Can’t hurt?” I frown at him.
“I mean, if that’s part of his punishment.”
“Going to church is
not
punishment, Rick.”
“Maybe not for you. But it is for some people.” He sticks his head under the hood of his pickup, almost as if he wants to escape my reaction to this statement.
I stand on the step that goes to the house, and I briefly consider telling him about Cynthia’s invitation. But something stops me. Perhaps that would be like casting my pearls before swine. Not that I think my husband’s a pig exactly. But sometimes he just doesn’t understand spiritual things.
“I replaced that three hundred dollars in the checking account,” I call out to him as I open the door to the house.
“Huh?” He sticks his head out and looks at me with a curious expression, and it’s clear I have his full attention now. It figures that
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