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By Larry George

Bill and Jane, members of my church, recently separated.  Both of them were quite active as members and everyone knows them.  The wife, being more vocal, made the husband out to be the villain.  The husband had been having an affair, and because of this and the separation, the husband quit coming to church.

It’s hard when things like this happen because you feel that in order to keep friendships you have to take sides.  I know too well that there are two sides to every story.  This situation made my heart ache.  I did not know what to do.  My pastor suggested that I contact Bill.  He thought this was a God thing.

I hesitated because I felt that if I reached out to the husband, the wife would be mad. But in reading the Bible, it tells us to love our brothers.  Also, I wondered:  If I were Bill, who would be there for me?

So, I texted Bill and said, “Hey Bill, this is Larry.  I know this is awkward for both you and me, but I want to be your friend.”  Then, I prayed, “Lord this is in your hands.”

Then, I pressed “send” and held my breath.

I spent the day looking at my phone to see if he would respond.  Waiting nervously, I kept thinking, “Did I come across as being nosy or better than thou?”  Finally, that evening I got a text from Bill.  He said, “Thank you for your text.”  That was it!

Since then, we have texted back and forth and plan to get together for lunch soon.