Page 59 of Loving Decker

Then something Bailey was saying really resonated with her. “I made some mistakes. Everyone will. Mine are just so much more visible than yours will be, I hope for your sake.” She laughed, and everyone joined her. “But inviting Christ into the picture also invites forgiveness into your relationship. Grace and I are so blessed that Maverick was already used to governing his life that way. Him taking us back was the largest act of grace outside of the Lord’s that I have ever experienced. And it made me strong.”

“Bailey’s so worth it. When it comes down to it, who am I to withhold forgiveness when the Lord so freely gives it?”

“What are some other blessings that might happen if you’re both trying to be one with Christ?”

Faith thought about it. She thought about how nice it was to have Decker with her when she last visited Grandpa, how awesome it was to have his support and respect when it came to most things, from cleaning out her barn to just eating dinner with his family.

But there was one thing that was difficult. “Pastor John, what about when you disagree? How can you be one or be one in Christ when you don’t want the same things?”

She felt Decker’s gaze, but she didn’t turn to look at him. She had to sell her land. She knew she did. Would Decker always disagree with that? Would he hold it against her? Would she lose that strength if she moved forward with doing something he didn’t agree with?

She expected Pastor John to maybe talk about unity and working out differences or to brush off her question, but instead he pointed at her with the hugest smile of the night. “And this question is where we will be spending the rest of our time, because it is the most important thing for each of you to realize.”

“Well, okay then. Glad I asked. “ She laughed.

Decker leaned closer. “You worried about selling?”

She nodded. It was crazy how he seemed to read her mind.

Pastor John got out his dry-erase marker and turned to his whiteboard. “We’re going to talk about ‘I feel’ statements and effective listening skills. And we are going to talk about the difference between disagreeing and contending. One is a normal, natural part of any relationship. The other causes discord and hurt feelings.”

This time the longer married couples shared their experiences. Faith listened closely to them because her parents had only ever argued behind closed doors. She’d heard them before, talking in their room, and sometimes she could tell that the conversation was not pleasant. But she never saw the result or how they worked through things. The faces they showed her outside their room were pleasant and kind and well-spoken. So she really had no idea what to do when someone disagreed.

One of the couples, the Hansens, looked a little run-down. The wife seemed tired, the husband not particularly affectionate. Mrs. Hansen looked kindly in her direction. “I used to think that if we argued, it meant we were getting a divorce. I remember the first time we didn’t agree, I went crying to my mother in shock and horror. And you know what my mom did?”

Everyone leaned closer.

“She laughed.”

Faith smiled.

“She told me what everyone realizes sooner or later: we all disagree. What we need to learn is that we should disagree kindly and with great respect.” She didn’t look at her husband, didn’t reach for his hand or anything. And he didn’t seem particularly warm toward her in that moment either.

The pastor talked for several more minutes about assignments the couples were to do, and then he closed with a prayer for each of the couples. It was nice to be prayed over like that. He ended with, “Please bless these thy children and watch over them as we know their loved ones are praying too for their love and watch care.”

Faith tried to fight the rising loneliness, but it came anyway. Who prayed for her?

“See you at the Willow Creek Fair this weekend.” The meeting closed down around them. People stood to leave or to chat with one another.

She put on a brave face and gratefully clung to Decker’s hand.

“You riding?” Decker lifted her hand to his lips.

“Yes, I am. And selling baked goods and helping run the cakewalk.” She grinned. “I heard our fair has been advertised all over the place, even all the way up to Dallas.”

“Now, that’s something. Do you think we’ll bring in some money?”

“Yes, and I hope we also get some notoriety. It would be good for everyone if more people came back to see us.”

“True. We’ll have our cattle brands out. We’ll ride also, and I know they’re bringing in some of the Lost Creek guys. That should help.”

“Anything will help. If everyone sells, we still need to get some people in here to buy from the developers, or the whole city will collapse around us, and we will have lost our land. I think Willow Creek can become something even better if we sell. But I think we’re gonna need to help with that.”

“You may be right.” Decker sighed.

She knew he didn’t like the idea of selling. “It’s going to be okay. You might even like it better.”

He nodded but didn’t say anything.

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