last week the papé household walked through what felt like a battlefield. but these hardships that have flared up allowed for life-giving conversations with close friends, the kinds of friends you just want to celebrate for being so good to you! maybe with champagne and a really yummy cheeseboard complete with fig spread and marcona almonds.
on monday afternoon bryan called me with some news that sent my mind spinning. right then we didn’t have time to delve into details. instead i went ahead with my after work routine and met my girlfriend at the gym. [side note: let me attest to her awesomeness. she recently received her personal training certification on a friday and was hired by a local gym that tuesday.] i found her stretching by the ellipticals and flopped onto the floor by her side in a heap. i was a total mess. i was also barely understandable. while i blubbered she calmly listened, speaking few words and saying all the right ones when she did. she looked me in the eyes and i met her there. it was a powerful moment for me. i felt more than just her and me as our souls connected. without any trace of judgment melinda graciously provided me with comfort and peace and later, as usual a refreshing, liberating workout.
with no real resolution on the horizon, the next day was a fusing of the original ‘bad news’ and a particularly bad day at work, fueled by a poor night’s sleep [and let's not forget the subsequent caffeine overdose]. the same thing happened: i left work frustrated, walking with another good girlfriend and coworker of mine, squeezing tears out of my eyes as i admitted my irrational thinking but unleashed my feelings anyway. danielle also listened, and because her understanding was so great and her situation similar, she responded with what equipped me for action: the truth. she said things like, ‘if you do _______, what you want to happen may not actually happen’ and, ‘yeah, that sucks, but you just have to work through it.’ it wasn’t easy to hear or say, but it was the inevitable reality i needed to hear in order to face and process.
i got home and soon after was alone, thinking about and comparing these two voices in my life that are so different, yet both so necessary. i needed both – empathy and honesty – and in that order. the empathy reminded me of my community of support and brought me back to standing. the honesty forced me to face what’s next and identify what I can and cannot control. but i couldn’t have done that with my face on the ground.
and i have all kinds of real and true voices around me. with this overflow of support, and the incredible promise that the Lord goes ahead of me to first face what i too will face, i can take on any news, any day, with hope.
the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. – deuteronomy 31:8
