Marriage Moats-Checking In
Published: Fri, 05/03/13
| Marriage Moats | Caring for Marriage | ||||
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 Forty minutes later he showed up. I waited for the explanation before I started complaining. "As I was leaving I saw a light on down the hall in the school, so I went to turn it off. I noticed another one on and went towards it. Then I heard the sound of water running and realized there was a faucet on in the janitor's closet. I spent the next hour mopping up the floor." I kept my mouth shut. I had assumed he was dawdling but he was being a hero. Blush. I thought about the moment he stood poised, noticing a distant light glaring. He could have shrugged, and weighed the cost of a lone bulb as not worth the trouble to walk fifty yards. But he is the man I love, willing to step over inconvenience for a small chance to serve in anonymous ways. There is a security person whose job it is to walk these halls each night checking for trouble. Perhaps he would have come by in an hour or three but the damage would have increased in the interim. Once I felt the nudge to check in on a couple. I could easily have ignored it. They are busy. I am busy. If they needed help they knew where to find me. But there was the feeling, like an itch begging for a scratch. I sent a message, inviting them for coffee. When the four of us sat together the next day the story came pouring out. They were struggling. For the next hour and a half John and I mopped up the tears, and listened as if they were the only people in the world. While we did not rescue them from their circumstances, the relief on their faces when we hugged goodbye was real. I am a believer when it comes to the inner tickle of conscience. When people who are perceptive have feelings of compassion they know that they are being alerted by the Lord to offer help. Heavenly Secrets 6737
Photo by Stephen Conroy
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