Dougie

Pessimism was not a trait Dougie normally exuded. Generally, he saw the glass as half-full and the world populated with mostly good people who had good intentions, but today he could not shake the darker attitude that hovered around him. He knew it had a lot to do with seeing Holly with Frederick, but what could he do about it? She wasn’t dating Dougie, and she was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. Still, he could not help the sigh that escaped his lips as he sat across from Chance and Israel for their morning coffee and Bible time.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Chance asked as he lifted his mug to drink.

“Not really.” Dougie took the last mug and filled it with the coffee urn Chance had sitting on the table. He glanced at his two friends. Normally, he loved discussing God’s Word with other strong men of God, but today he couldn’t summon his usual cheerfulness. “I had my date with Becca last night.”

“How did that go?” Israel asked. He and Tiffany had married a few years back, and Chance had married Merribeth about a year before that, so Dougie was the only single one left, and he knew his friends wanted him to find his lifelong companion.

“It was fine, but there are no romantic feelings between Becca and me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but there will be other women. Maybe Tiffany can help set you up with one.”

Dougie shook his head. “No, that’s okay. It wasn’t the lack of connection with Becca that has me down anyway. It’s Holly.”

Chance’s forehead furrowed. “Holly? You mean because you didn’t get a chance to ask her out the other night?”

“No. I mean yes, but more than that. She and that guy, Frederick,” the man’s name felt slimy on his tongue, “showed up at the same place Becca and I were at last night. I don’t know. I try not to judge others, but it’s hard with him. He just strikes me like a used car salesman, and I don’t trust him.”

“Well, that could be jealousy making you feel that way,” Chance said. “I don’t know the guy, so I can’t really say one way or the other, but he’s only in town for a few days, right? I mean he’s staying here at the resort, so surely he doesn’t plan to stay long.”

Dougie shrugged. “Yeah, maybe, but there’s definitely something between them. She has this light in her eyes when she looks at him. I am jealous, and I’m trying to work on that, but I’m also worried about her. What if she has feelings for him and he does just leave?”

“That is out of our hands,” Chance said, tapping the Bible on the table in front of him, “but we can pray that God’s will happens in this situation, whatever that might be.”

“I know. It’s just so hard to trust sometimes.” Ever since Dougie had accepted Jesus as his savior, he hadn’t found trust all that difficult, but perhaps that was because his faith hadn’t been tested like this before.

“Trusting is never easy,” Israel said softly. “You know Tiffany and I have been trying for a family for a long time. We had to trust that God would provide one for us, and while we aren’t getting one the way we originally hoped, we’ll get to pick up our adopted son soon. It’s hard, but it’s always worth it. God’s plan is always the best one for us”

Israel’s words sliced to Dougie’s core. He’d forgotten how much his friend had gone through the last few years. Israel had known about Tiffany’s fertility issues when he married her and he’d done it anyway, trusting that God would provide the family. Yet here Dougie was not even trusting that God would protect Holly. Convicted, his gaze dropped to the table for a minute before he met Israel’s eyes again. “You’re right, Iz. I’m so sorry. Compared to your issue, this seems so trivial.”

Israel shook his head. “It’s not trivial. You are looking out for a friend and that’s worthy, but just remember that we can do nothing. God is the one who gives us the strength, the words, the everything, but only when we put our trust in Him.”

“Amen to that,” Chance said, opening his Bible. “I’d say that’s a pretty good segue into our devotion for the day.”

Dougie and Israel opened their Bibles as well, and the men spent the next half an hour in the Word. When the devotion was through and the coffee had cooled considerably, Dougie leaned back in his chair and looked at his friends.

“Iz, I just realized I haven’t asked you how the adoption process has been. Do you need anything from us? From me?”

Israel smiled and shook his head. “No, it’s almost done, but it’s been a long journey. I wish there was a way to increase awareness about adoption and show women that there are people who want their babies. Did you know that there are about two million couples wanting to adopt and fewer than one hundred fifty thousand babies put up for adoption each year?”

“Wow.” Dougie had heard about people having to wait a long time to adopt, but he had no idea the numbers were that skewed.

“And ninety-two percent of abortions are for an unwanted pregnancy. If we could turn those abortions into adoptions, we still wouldn’t have a baby for every couple who wants one, but we’d be a lot closer.”

Dougie’s gaze dropped to the table again. Abortion was such a tough topic, especially for men who seemed to have no say and were villanized if they spoke out about it, even though it was their child too.

“You know, maybe we could do something like the Jesus Revolution of the 1970s,” Chance said.

Dougie looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“Back in the 1970s, there was a huge religious revival. People turned to Jesus and amazing things happened, but it started with a group of believers coming together and praying. What if we did something like that at our church?”

“Like a prayer vigil?” Dougie asked.

“Or a walk,” Israel said slowly, rubbing his chin. “Think about it. Races for charities gather a lot of attention, but they only happen once a year. What if we planned a monthly prayer walk and we walked the streets, praying. It would be a way to spread the word peacefully and give us an opportunity to talk to people about Jesus.”

Chance nodded, a smile pulling at his lips. “I think that’s a great idea. And maybe you could lead it, Dougie.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Because it would be a good distraction from Holly. It would give you a way to serve and keep your focus on God. Plus with your security background, you’d know best how to keep us safe.”

Dougie was flattered, but he didn’t know if this was really up his alley. “I don’t know. That’s not really my thing, but I’ll think about it and pray about it.”

Chance smiled and leaned back, a knowing gleam in his eye. “Then I know you’ll make the right decision.”

Tags: Lorana Hoopes Romance
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