Page 20 of Solid as Steele
She caught up to him.
He looked at her. “You really do believe that, don’t you?”
“I do,” she replied with certainty.
“I just asked God why He’s allowing me to go through this.”
“And?” She stepped to the dead tree and rested a hand on one of the twisted branches.
“And no answer.”
She looked up at him. “Can I make a suggestion?”
“Of course,” he said and really meant it. He’d already come to see she lived her faith, and whatever she had to say actually might help him.
“When I’m troubled about something, I try to remind myself the problem isn’t forever. That things will change. Evolve. Maybe not get better but change. So say I’m having a bad day. I say to myself that I’m upsetfor now. Adding thefor nowto whatever problem I’m dealing with helps me remember that it’s temporary.”
“I can try that.” He unfolded the saw blade and locked it in place. “But I might never get my memory back. Then what? Yourfor nowdoesn’t work.”
“But each day that you don’t have it you’ll get better at dealing with the change. Soon you’ll find yourself stronger and more able to cope.”
“And if I want to wallow in my misery instead?” He hated hearing that come out of his mouth, but that was the state of his emotions right now.
“That’s your choice. I mean, I do that too. Let myself mourn the loss of something, but then I know I have to get over it and move on. With God’s help, I manage it.”
He looked for the best branch to start sawing. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Easy? Hah!” She laughed. “Not at all. It’s simply a choice you make. But don’t think you can make it on your own. Maybe instead of asking God why, ask Him to help you accept and deal with the problem.”
“Good advice,” he said, but wasn’t at all sure he could carry it out. That involved trusting God to do whateverHewanted. Not what Owen wanted. And he was so very desperate to get his memory back when that might not be God’s plan at all.
Still, if he wanted to look at the positives, he could appreciate the fact that God put this woman in his life. She was so full of surprises. Surprises that Owen liked. Liked a lot. And he liked her. The depth of her being was even more impressive than her looks or the fact that she put others first.
And what about him? Was he deep enough to hold his own with her? To earn her respect?
He was beginning to doubt it. But he would embrace her advice and try to take this recent event in stride and stop being frustrated.For now.Maybe those two little words could help him do it for short periods of time, and they would morph into longer periods of time as she said.
He sawed off a dead branch then cut it up, his muscles and body screaming to stop. She stacked the branches, then carried an armful back to the campsite. He waited until she was out of sight and let out a long breath, then took in a few more and let his arms fall limp at his side. Time to admit that he couldn’t keep sawing long enough to produce the quantity of wood they needed.
Could he stand to watch her do the work while he stood back? Or would he completely tire his muscles and not be able to move tomorrow?
That would be foolish. Tomorrow was too important. He needed all of his reserves for scouring the area.
He rested against the trunk and waited for her to return. “My arms have given out.”
“Let me.” She gently took the saw from his hand, a soft look in her eyes. Not pity. Not weakness. But compassion and what he suspected was Christian love.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely.
“Hey, just cause I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t do the same work. I’m an equal partner in this trip with you and Ryan.”
“You’re right. I was being sexist.” He moved out of her way.
“You were being a guy.” She wrinkled her cute nose and sawed away.
Grace.She was extending God’s grace to him when he was acting like one of those he-man guys who believed women didn’t have equal footing. But he believed this woman could do anything she set her mind to. Especially with her faith, which was clearly far bigger than a tiny mustard seed.
Her actions were precise and effective. Not a wasted movement.
