Opinion
A direct line to the One with the answers
Regular contributor Jane Walters finds that sometimes a direct request is the most effective way of achieving a satisfactory outcome to life’s challenges.
I was watching two children after church one Sunday. The boy, a rather boisterous lad of about seven, was on the verge of a meltdown because his little sister wouldn’t give him the toy she was holding. Her determination to retain her grip rose in synchronicity with his ever-louder demands. It was stalemate. Seeing their equal frustration with each other, I stepped forward. ‘Ben,’ I said. ‘Why don’t you just ask her if you can have it?’ This clearly hadn’t occurred to him, but he seemed to see the point. ‘Can I have it, please?’ he said, and without a murmur, she handed it straight over.
This incident happened many years ago, but its impact has remained. Alright, she might not have complied with his request, but his direct approach was what made the difference. I was reminded of this during the week. So much of our communication is remote these days: everything is electronic. To convey a message, we simply tap away at our mobiles or tablets and *pfff (that’s the actual sound of a message winging its way into cyberspace!) it is gone. Whether or not it is received is another matter, of course; and actually receiving a response may be a whole other question.
This was the case in a couple of work settings. Despite multiple approaches, various form-filling, and a lot of exasperation, I hadn’t been able to transfer some funds from one account to another. Unbelievably, it had been rumbling on for the best part of a year and my patience was wearing thin. Eventually, I did what I should have done at first: I picked up the phone and spoke to someone – a very pleasant, helpful someone, as it happened. The entire situation was resolved in minutes, the cleared funds in our account within three days.
Buoyed by this success, I tried another phone call, this time to our insurance broker. Again, within minutes, the lovely chap answered a question that had been a mystery for the last two years. A colleague declared it a miracle!
Perhaps it’s not in a bureaucratic setting that you’re having frustrations, but in a personal one. And what about when it comes to God? Sometimes, we’re so focussed on the difficulties we’re facing that we forget we can ask Him outright for help. Oh, and when you do: you’ll never be kept hanging on in a queue. In fact, He’s been waiting for your call, hoping that you would just ask…
The image is by Museums Victoria on Unsplash.
Jane Walters is Chair of the Association of Christian Writers and loves to champion writers of all ages and stages. She leads Green Pastures Christian Writers (currently meeting on Zoom) and creative writing retreats at Quiet Waters. Find out more: www.janewyattwalters.com or @readywritersretreats on Instagram.
The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive debate between website users.