Experiencing Love From Others

I have had many people show me God’s love. However, there is a certain couple that stands out for me. My best friend’s parents were really there for me. They were there for me when my own parents weren’t.

I didn’t find out until much later when I was told by someone else not related to the family that they had paid my tuition in the private school I was going to when my parents couldn’t or wouldn’t. I am not sure which. This was a time in my life when I felt like no one cared. I was having behavioral issues as a result. Yet, they still paid my tuition when I felt like I was unlovable.

One day, my best friend’s father, Mr. Owens sat down with me in his living room and had a heart-to-heart talk with me. He asked me why I was acting the way I did. I told him honestly how I felt. He didn’t yell at me or condemn me. He reassured me that more people cared about me than I realized. He became a sure friend and confidante that day.

A few years later my best friend and I argued and stopped speaking for about three years. During that three years, he died. When my best friend and I started talking again, her mother also was a true friend.

Mrs. Owens helped me get away from the abusive relationship that I was in. She allowed me to live with her and her family and provided a sanctuary for me. I was able to put some distance between my parents and me, which I very much needed at the time.

I maintained my relationship with my parents, but at a distance. I loved my parents, but the relationship was a toxic one. I was constantly being put down verbally by my Dad. I felt smothered by my mother. I needed some space to become the adult that I was and wanted to be. This is after I was an adult in my thirties.

Mrs. Owens stood up for me. She helped me be more independent. She made up for where my mother lacked, and my mother was very jealous of her as a result. Anyway, one day Mrs. Owens asked me to stop working and help her around the house because she was beginning to have a hard time doing the housework. After all she had done for me, how could I refuse? Plus, I was still living under her roof.

Little did my best friend and I know that within a few months, she would be diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. I became her and her family’s caregiver. Within six months of the diagnosis, Mrs. Owens passed away. My best friend and I have lived together as roommates ever since.

Notes ▼

Word Count 469
Written for:

FORUM

The Christian Writing Contest  (E) Featured in Schnujo's CONTEST CHALLENGE for June 2021! #1376214 by ruwth

Prompt for June:

Tell us about a Christian who has shown love. It can be anyone from Mother Theresa to your grandmother, friend, neighbor—any Christian who has loved as Jesus loves.