“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
By Nancy Huddleston
When you’re the editor of a weekly community newspaper, stress and tension come with the job. Editors enforce deadlines. They often do extra duties as reporters and photographers. And the editor serves as an intermediary in tense situations with sources and readers. Unfortunately, the job does not radiate peace.
When Joy walked into our office, I was busy editing articles for the next publication. The receptionist came to my desk and said, “There’s a lady here to see you. She said you’ve been trying to talk to her about her daughter.”
I’d called Joy many times over the past week in hopes that she would talk to us about her daughter, who was one of the 13 people who lost their lives when the 35W bridge fell into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. But she never called back.
So, when I got up to talk with her, I had my response ready: “Thank you for coming in, but we’re close to our deadline. Can you and I make an appointment for next week?” But when Joy smiled at me through her tearful eyes, those words fell to the floor.
We talked for several hours about her daughter and how she lived her life. She cried. I cried. No formal prayers were said, but at times during the interview, I felt we were praying together.
Joy and I stayed in touch after the story was published. The experience showed me that when we shut the door to stress in our workplaces and open our hearts to peace, the Lord multiplies our blessings.
Pray
Lord, help me find peace in my life, especially in my workplace, where stress abounds.
Reflect
What kinds of conflicts are you faced with every day? How can you make those interactions peaceful?
Discuss
Share about a time when the Lord softened your heart after you had your mind made up.
Nancy Huddleston is the editor of The Flame and lives in Holyoke, Minnesota, with her husband, Mike. She can be reached at nancy.huddleston58@gmail.com.