The God Chronicles- loving others

The God Chronicles- How have I seen God working in my life lately?

Sometimes, I fail at loving others.

I first met this particular other when she was young and fresh out of law school. She started working as the Jr. attorney in the same firm I was at. I must have been nicer than most and she misinterpreted my passing nice gestures as an invitation to be best friends.

Pretty soon, she was joining Weight Watchers, and attending each meeting with me. She then developed a love for all my favorite lunch spots. She joined all the same business associations I was in, running for secretary when I ran for President.

I would like to say that I rapidly realized this was someone God had put in my daily path and excelled at loving this other, and handled this with maturity and grace and was the picture of loving kindness to this young, impressionable girl. However, that was not the case. Maybe I was jealous? Nervous that she would look better at work than me? Just over worked and annoyed? For whatever reason, I stayed in a state of somewhat annoyance with her. I half heartily invited her to church (she declined), but no evidence of loving could be found.

That was about three years ago.

Recently, I could read between the lines of a business e-mail she sent and I could hear what a miserable and lonely place she was in, with no one to talk to. That whole loving others thing surfaced again.

I felt God put a little nudge in my heart. I hesitated, I tried to talk myself out of it, I didn't want to...but I eventually sent her an e-mail back inviting her to dinner sometime if she needed to talk about anything. She replied- how about tonight?

She spent two hours rehashing her work troubles. I spent two hours realizing how bad my behavior had been, how I had an opportunity in front of me to practice the behavior that Jesus tells us to demonstrate (love others), failed to reach out to someone who really needed a friend.

I bought dinner. Then I called others inquiring about job openings for her, then I invited her to sit with me at one of our mutual business meetings. When I saw her standing outside the courthouse one afternoon alone, I offered her a ride home. I invited her back to the WW meetings. I've e-mailed and called just to check on her.I introduced her to some of my friends. My next step is to get her to church, all my previous invitations to her have gone unaccepted... If I could just get her in my Sunday School class, surrounded by a large group of loving women, I know she would be changed forever.

How have I seen God working in my life lately?

I've seen him give me another chance to do what he told me to do in the first place... love others.