AT FIRST, IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE GOLD
I’m at work at the radio station.
The lights are low because I like them that way.
It’s one of those days I’d rather be staring at the stars or counting the passing satellites.
My mind is wandering.
My on-the-job attitude needs an adjustment.
I’m here because there are bills to pay, children to feed and clothe, and dreams of retirement to finance.
With my low-expectation attitude, I’m standing in front of the double monitors positioned above the control board in the studio known as: “Main A.”
Scott, who I haven’t met yet, is trying to get me to answer the phone, but I’m one minute and twenty-seven seconds into my scheduled two-minute break, so I ignore him.
Normally, someone will hang up after ten or fifteen seconds if I don’t answer.
But Scott doesn’t behave like most … he obviously is going to wait me out.
BUT KEEP LOOKING
At the end of my stop-set, I pushed the pick-up button and say, “Thanks for calling. This is Lee. Who is this?”
“Scott. Listen, I need to talk.”
No warm up. No blah, blah, blah, just let’s get to it.
I glance at the monitor and notice the song streaming (over the air) has more than three and a half minutes remaining. “OK, I got a little time, what’s up?”
“I’m thinking I probably should get a divorce.”
Right off Scott’s hooked me, and my mind starts churning as I listen. “OK, why do you say that?”
I could hear that he’d practiced the words he wanted to say, “Everything’s an argument. It’s miserable.”
“You’re miserable?” My eyes swept the control board and monitors looking for any irregularities. I didn’t see any.
“Yeah, supposedly I can’t do anything right. We don’t really talk with each other anymore, we talk at each other.” And he added, “The kids are hurting.”
“How many children?”
“Three.”
“All girls? All boys?
“Two sons and our daughter.”
GOLD IS THERE
“Why’d you guys get married?”
Scott didn’t hesitate or stutter, “Because we loved each other.”
“Do you still love each other?”
“Oh man, I don’t … I … yes, I still love her.”
“So Scott what do you think happened?”
“We got lost somewhere, somehow, while our kids were getting older …”
I concentrated as Scott told me his side of what was going on. He related that little by little they had created and lived in separate worlds. This meant they rarely spent any time together in their real world.
“So,” I reached for my coffee mug and at the same time (with my other hand) touched the next song on the monitor’s playlist, “do you think ending your marriage will make things better?”
“Um … No, I guess not, but … I,” then with resolve Scott said, “this ain’t workin’ … that’s what I know.” I heard regret and pain twisted into his tone.
I focused. I searched for something useful from my experience. I wondered how I could help? What could I say?
HIDDEN BENEATH THE SURFACE
I said to Scott, “I’d like to pray for your marriage if you’d let me, would that be all right?”
“Yeah, sure … please. Maybe God can do something worthwhile.”
I prayed for Scott’s marriage and family.
THE SECRET?
Before we ended and hung up I said, “Scott, I’m a Christian radio announcer. I’m not a pastor or a marriage counselor. Still, it sounds as if you guys could make your marriage work. Do you want your marriage to work?”
“I do.”
“Then plant a seed, ask her for a date and go somewhere quiet to talk.” There were 33 seconds left on the song playing.
Scott listened and asked, “Then what?”
“Cultivate the seed you’ve planted. In time you’ll harvest what you’ve planted if you keep cultivating.” I touched a 60-second spot on the monitor.
DON’T WASTE YOUR GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO PLANT AND REAP A FORTUNE
Scott’s call made me reflect on my own marriage.
Any marriage relationship faces times of strain and stress.
It isn’t uncommon to imagine, “Divorce is the solution?”
But really, is it? Unfortunately, we give up or give in too quickly, we plant seeds of poverty instead of seeds of wealth.
This was a time the Lord reminded me that my marriage is a soil requiring seeds of cooperation, not conflict or competition. Cooperation is the seed of wealth.
What’s your story?
What seeds are you planting?
Little Things Matter:
- Say I Love You
- Hug
- Kiss