Brief Encounter

brief encounterReturned from shopping to find my husband being propositioned by another woman.

We’d arranged to meet in a café and I was slightly delayed.  When I arrived he was comforting a crying woman. I blinked, watched as he wrote down her address, and then reversed. Later, I got the full story:

The café was empty, but the woman sat on the sofa with Glen. Asked what he was up to.  Put a hand on his knee.

‘Just waiting for my wife’, he said, smiling.  ‘It’s our day off and we’re meeting for coffee’.

The woman sighed and removed her hand.  ‘That’s nice’ she said. ‘I’ve been having problems with my boyfriend. To be honest with you, he’s got a lot of issues.’

‘How did you meet?’

‘In hospital.  I told him I wanted to have sex with him – first time we spoke.’

‘And it’s not going so great now?’

‘No’.

A silence.

‘Tell the truth, I’ve got some issues too.  I was in the Maudsley (hospital for mental health) for five years – with anorexia’.

‘How was it there?’

‘I miss it – there were lots of rules, but they told me what to do and looked after me. The days had a plan. Now I’m out it’s harder. I don’t know what to do with myself. I started drinking, going with men. And I used to be the opposite. Straight As, did it all right. A virgin – I never went with anyone. Anyway.  What are you doing? Working at your computer?’

Glen took a sip of coffee. Funny thing, he said, showing her the screen.  I’m writing a talk for Sunday on part of the Bible.  Maybe you’ve heard of it.  Luke 15 – the prodigal son.

She had heard of it, but Glen retold it anyway. Two sons – one straight-laced, always had to get things right. The other, a tear-away, blowing his money on all the wrong things. “Sounds like maybe you started off as an older brother and now you’re a younger one?”

“That’s totally it. What should I do?”

They read the verses about a rebellious son coming home to a Father’s love. She started to cry. ‘It would be amazing if this was true.’

Glen took her address and he’s sending her my book.  Please pray.

11 thoughts on “Brief Encounter

  1. Love the way your husband responded. The opportunity to bring light into another’s life would have been lost if he’d recoiled, scowled at her. Great story.

  2. Praying like a crazy woman!! It was this story being told during children’s singing at church that helped me understand God is my perfect dad who completely knows and loves and accepts me. I ran into his arms and have never looked back. Bless your lovely man for sharing like that.

  3. I love the way you have re-told this, understated which makes the glory shine all the more (I already told Glen on the twitter, 2nd hand.)
    I love the way too Jesus’ stories mean different things to different people and also at different times during our own journey & this particular parable personally has been much so recently. And too how all these things can come together in one moment in time, when heaven meets earth.
    Continuing to pray

  4. That’s really amazing, and beautiful. I can see what the woman meant about things being easier with rules and regulations, and I think even in our faith we wish it were so easy to know how to do right, and what we should or should not do. How amazing that God used Glen like that, and that all you have been through as a family has been used to give God glory

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