“STOP IT!”

 By Michael L. Alumbaugh © 2023

“This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,” ~ Titus 1:13

It had been a hard month on the production line. Schedules had shifted, incomplete units were being offloaded and managers were avoiding my data gathering. The battle was on both internally and externally and I was looking for solace! My spirit had weakened and I was yielding to a number of temptations.

 Then, over the din of assembly noise, I heard my desk phone ring. I answered. It was Don!

 It’d been over a month since we’d gotten together. Don, a friend and ally, traveled for the company so our lunch meetings were sparse but valued. We’d met years before in a Memorize the Word class. A single man at the time, he’d just come to faith in Jesus Christ and had been growing spiritually by leaps and bounds. His hunger for God’s Word was insatiable! [And still is.] He’d even begun discipling young men on his off hours.

 “Hey, you want to get together for lunch, say 11:30?”

 I needed an escape and he was one I trusted to share my struggles. “Sure! See you at the cafeteria.”

 We met up, grabbed our dinners and found a secluded spot to chat. We ran through the usual pleasantries. You know the drill: the “How are you?” and “What you been up to lately?” list. But Don, always on target, sensed my frustration. “So, how’s your walk with the Lord going?” he asked.

 I hesitated. I knew his responses to be somewhat brash at times, but I also knew he spoke from a heart of brotherly love and compassion. “Well, I’ve been fighting temptations right and left, looking in the wrong places and thinking the wrong stuff.” From there I laid it all out in more detail than I should have [I was deeper into my indiscretions than I wanted to admit and was actually enjoying them.], but I wanted someone to listen and understand. Maybe even coddle me a bit. But that’s not what I got! His response was direct and incisive!

 With a stern voice and penetrating glare, he retorted, “Mike, that’s sin! You need to stop it!”

 I knew he was right and yet I wasn’t ready to hear it. We concluded our time with a few passing pleasantries and returned to work.

 But it wasn’t over for me. That next month, the workload increased along with a bitter spirit toward Don’s, seemingly, unfeeling remark. Then about midday, the desk phone rang. It was him, back from another company trip and ready to regroup. With all the professional decorum I could muster, I clinched my jaw, gritted my teeth and gave out with my standard, “Sure! See you in a bit.”

 We met again in the cafeteria, grabbed our grub and passed the time again with casual cordial conversation. But inside I was angry. That bitterness had festered and I knew the inevitable was about to occur.

 He finally asked, “Well, Mike, how’s your walk with the Lord going since the last time we talked?”

 With some civility I responded, “Well, you remember what we talked about last time?”

 He smiled, leaned forward a little and said, “Not really! It’s been a few weeks. What’d we talk about?”

 So I laid out the previous conversation and struggles. He said, “Oh, yea, I recall some of that. So how’s it going?”

 Again, I exercised propriety. He’s my friend. So I asked, “Do you remember what you said?”

 His smile grew as he responded, “No. What’d I say?”

 With controlled frustration I retorted, “You said, ‘Mike, that’s sin! You need to stop it!”

 With a jovially perplexed look he replied, “Wow! I did? Man, I’m sorry! I don’t remember that!” Then, with a more solemn look, he continued, “But it’s true. It’s sin.”

 At that moment, something happened inside me. I saw a true friend who loved me in spite of my faults and was willing to risk a broken relationship to call me out! Instead of a bitter response, the Holy Spirit soothed my mind and emotions. He brought to remembrance one of Don’s favorite Bible verses from years before and it had really stuck with me: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17) I’d come to realized Don hadn’t been snarky or unloving but just the opposite. He had demonstrated true brotherly love and compassion on me. He knew I needed to man-up and get back to a proper relationship with the Lord!

 With faint tears, I said, “Don, don’t apologize. I need to ask your forgiveness! You were right in showing me tough love as only you can! I’ve been bitter about this since that day, but it’s gone! I feel inner peace again like I haven’t felt in a while. Thanks for being a true friend.”

 Years have passed and we still get together. And, as is my custom, I occasionally bring that incident back up as an offering of praise to the Lord for his willingness to give me the kick in the pants I so desperately needed.

             Dig a Little Deeper: James 5:16; 1 Cor 10:12; 2 Cor 13:10; Gal 6:1-2; 2 Tim 4:2 

Published in the June 2023 issue of Black River Times