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by: Linda Lawrence I felt a strong nudge to go see her. . . however, pride stopped me. --------------------------------- "And you call yourself a Christian!” Freda muttered, shaking her head as I left the dental office – eighteen-years-old and just fired from my first job. Freda was the boss’s wife, now.  She had been one of his assistants, like me, but both she and he had divorced their spouses and married each other.  Now, Freda’s job seemed to be to make all other dental assistants look bad in comparison. I had been walking down the hall, massaging my aching back, when Freda caught me at it and demanded, “Are you pregnant?” “No,” I answered, surprised at her question. “Then what’s wrong with your back?” Caught by surprise again, I sputtered, “I guess I just wish I was home.” “Humph,” she said and walked away. Before I knew what was happening, I was called into the boss’s office.  I was inexperienced in the politics of a workplace, newly married and wishing I could stay home and play house.  “I hear you’re not happy working here,” the dentist said, as his wife glared at me.  “Why?” I didn’t know what to say.  I did dislike working there for several reasons, but I was unprepared to explain them. “Why?” Freda repeated. I was dumbstruck. “Why do you not like working here?” she demanded again. “Because I wouldn’t want any of my friends to come here,” I blurted out, thinking of one reason: that every patient who came in ended up requiring extensive and expensive gum treatment.  Freda rose in anger, and almost spit in my face as she cried out, “You hurt my husband, and I could just choke you!” She turned to stand by him before demanding, “How could you?  How could you say such a thing?” Completely bewildered by the rapid descent into chaos, started by a simple back rub, I quietly answered with raised eyebrows, “Because you kept asking me?” I was innocent of the forthcoming charge of “insubordination,” but guilty of naivety and tactlessness.  So, I was shown out the door with Freda saying scornfully, “And you call yourself a Christian!” A few years later, while living in Asia, Freda’s parting words invaded my dreams on occasion.  We returned to the States for a furlough, and once, I was within a mile of the dental office and felt a strong nudge to go see Freda.  However, pride stopped me.  The dream continued popping up now and then after we returned to Asia. Then I received a letter from my friend who had been an assistant in the same office.  Freda was dead.  Died of a heart attack, coming out of church. I was stabbed with dread of forever being guilty of not obeying God’s nudge to visit Freda when I had the opportunity.  But just as quickly the Nudger spoke peace to my heart with this message: “There’s no guilt.  You just missed out on a blessing.” To this day I wonder what blessing God wanted to give me.  However, I am grateful when this lesson is brought to my mind and keeps me from passing up another offered opportunity for blessing. Forty-five years later, Linda was at another crossroads and was tempted to pass up a blessing that seemed slow in coming. Remembering God’s patience with her before, she chose the difficult road and did indeed receive overflowing blessing. View the story online at: http://www.storiesaboutgod.org/index.php/stories/story_page/a-missed-blessing/

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