One of the team members was an attractive, athletic female player, a few years older than Kim and me. She swooned over my athletic boyfriend, causing him to blush and fidget nervously. I was not impressed with her forwardness around him and even less impressed by his reaction to her. Kim was so preoccupied with all this admiration, he wasn’t even noticing me. My confidence in our relationship dipped to a disheartening low.
This was turning out to be the worst summer of my life. My work world was destroying my belief in myself to do a job well. On top of that, I was questioning everything about my relationship with Kim. My hopes and dreams for our future were eroding daily. I needed to pray.
Dear Lord, You know all about the predicaments I’m in this summer. You know how much I care about Kim and how worried I am about our relationship right now. You also know about the horrible accusations that have been written about me at the bank. I don’t even know how to defend myself, Lord. I read verses today that say You will fight for us (Deuteronomy 20:4) and deliver us from our troubles (Psalm 34:19). I ask for this help today, Lord. Please guide me at the bank and help them to see that I’m not a thief. And, please protect Kim and me. Help him to see past the advances of the female baseball star. I was so sure when we met that we were meant for each other. I pray that this summer will not be wasted and that we could still move forward. In Your name I ask this, Lord. Amen.
The big weekend of the baseball performance show finally arrived. I was bursting with pride as my boyfriend demonstrated his pitching abilities for the crowd. The show was a huge success, with the fans “oohing” and “aahing” at the skills of the high-performance team. A barbecue was planned to celebrate the event after the show. I tried to enjoy the festivities, but I could hardly wait for the weekend to be finished. The travelling team would leave our town and move on to the next one. I would have time with Kim again and could find out if his heart was still mine.
The following week at the bank, an unexpected discovery was made about my errors. I often displaced two numbers that were close. Instead of typing $93.48, I would enter the numbers $93.84. These mistakes were subtle errors that were hard to find. This type of number mix-up happened often in my daily life with phone numbers or other numbers I was trying to remember. I just laughed it off. At the bank, a number error like that was no laughing matter.
Fortunately, recognizing my number displacements helped to identify and prevent errors. Balancing the transactions of the previous day was no longer an issue. I managed to complete my summer of working at the bank without further accusations.
On my last day of work, the bank manager called me into his office. I wasn’t sure what to expect. He smiled and commented that it had been an interesting summer. He apologized for the harsh report that had been written about me. Now that the staff knew me better, they realized that the accusations were ludicrous. Right there, in front of me, he shredded the report. He knew I was planning a career as a teacher, and he had an important recommendation for me. We both laughed out loud as he suggested that I stick to teaching languages and avoid the subject of mathematics. I nodded in full agreement. I always knew I was better with words than numbers. That summer provided unforgettable evidence.
What a crazy summer! I am so relieved, but why did this all happen?
The end of that summer provided more evidence to continue believing in my relationship with Kim. The distractions of the female baseball star disappeared as smoothly as the shredded report. Kim and I had time with each other again and were soon back on track.
As the negative emotions of that summer dissolved and we talked more about our future, I was grateful to leave the bank job in good standing with all of the staff. If I came back to this town and worked as a teacher, it was possible that the children of the staff at that bank might be students in my future classrooms.
Your Story:
Seeking Justice
Thinking Back
• Have you ever been mistreated in some way or accused of something you did not do? How did the accusations come about?
• Did the accusations threaten your reputation? What type of damage did they cause?
Thinking Inward
• How did the accusations affect your belief in yourself or confidence in your abilities?
• How did you cope with the inner turmoil of the situation?
Thinking Outward
• Did the accusations change how you were viewed by others?
• Were you able to defend yourself? Was there anyone who did believe in you who could have defended you?
Thinking Forward
• What have you learned from past injustices that could guide you in dealing with them in your future?
• Are you experiencing the threat of false accusations today that may impact your future?
Write a Prayer: Tell God about any past or present mistreatment or accusations in your life. Ask Him to come to your defence.
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are already aware, dear Lord, that false accusations happen in many people’s lives, destroying their reputation and their belief in themselves. I pray for every reader who has experienced and still is experiencing the deep trauma of this attack. Your word describes the agony of these accusations in Psalm 109 and says that You come to rescue us. It says that God “stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them” (Psalm 109:31). Help us, I pray, and rescue us from wrongs done to us.
In Your name, amen.
“You came near when I called you, and you said, ‘Do not fear.’
You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life. Lord,
you have seen the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause!”
Lamentations 3:57–59
Chapter 5
Questioning
I lingered over my second cup of coffee, gazing at the sparkling set of rings on my finger. Life had slowed down to a relaxing crawl after a whirlwind of events the past two months.
It started with my convocation from university, followed by a few short weeks of planning for our wedding day, topped off with our two-week honeymoon in Florida. Three incredible photo albums of beautiful memories were already behind me. I tried to focus on the perfect images from the amazing days of the last two months and ignore the familiar cloud of uncertainty that was threatening to rob me of my current state of joy.
Despite the joy and excitement of our engagement, the months leading up to our wedding brought some unexpected concerns. Kim was still living on the farm in southeast Saskatchewan, and I was back in Saskatoon, so we had to endure the five-hour distance between us from Christmas till June. Our demanding lives in opposite corners of the province lacked connection. Kim was back working on the farm, and I was finishing my practicum for teaching in Radisson, north of Saskatoon. Our communication via distance seemed empty of emotion. We met a few times to attend our premarital counselling, but the sessions were frustrating. Rather than help us understand each other better, they put more strain on our relationship. I began to question how well I really knew this guy who had captured my heart and if we were well-suited for each other or not. I began to pray in a different way for my future husband.
Dear Lord, You know my thoughts and fears about the man I am about to marry and the new life I will be starting with him. I thought I knew him, but some days, Lord, I am not sure. And does he really know me? Are we going to be good for each other? Will I be content living on a farm in south Saskatchewan? I have so many questions, Lord, and so I pray that if we are not meant for each other You would stop or block our plans. If this is truly meant to be, please calm my worries and guide our possible future together in every way. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
The day of our wedding was a rare day of perfect weather in Swift