Sacrosanct Siesta

"My afternoon siesta is too sacrosanct to be broken," said Selma as she picked up her insistent cell phone, "I should have put it in silent mode, I suppose"

                                                                       Apart from being a homemaker, Selma was also into counselling, having done some courses and qualified to counsel. Her husband Donald was a busy surgeon, and they had two daughters. The elder of them, Dorcas, was also aspiring to walk in their footsteps and become a health professional.

                                                                       Donald told her, "Maybe it is some counselee of yours in a crisis of sorts, honey. Do attend the call!"

                                                                       Sleepily, Selma looked at her mobile, "Oh! It’s Freddy. Wonder what has happened to him now. I saw him just last week and he looked fine to me."

                                                                       Frederick was Selma's nephew who was also her protege as her brother, Frederick's Dad had passed on in the last year.

                                                                       "Hello Freddy! What has happened?"

                                                                       "Dear Aunt Selma, am sorry to bug you at this time on a Sunday. But I have a real problem. My Dad and the way I treated him before we lost him, seems to be surfacing in my mind, again and again. I am not able to sleep. I tried but I could not sit in the Church service too. What should I do?"

                                                                       As the sleep disappeared and her mind cleared, Selma thought about Frederick. He must be enduring a long grief reaction, she thought. She asked him, "Were you able to have your quiet time with God, reading your Bible and praying?"

                                                              "That I am not able to do properly for many days now. Ever since Dad passed away. I am not able to focus on anything or anybody, Aunty. Please help me."

                                                              "Freddy, you need to go for some counselling. I will ask our friend Dr Daniel to set up a session or two for you in this week. Please go to him and share all your feelings. he will, with God's help, make you feel better. But Freddy it will take some time before you can come back to normal. Be patient and keep working on yourself. Pray, whether you feel like praying or not and read some scriptures too as a habit, every day."

                                                              "If you say so Aunt Selma. I will try my best. Please pray for me. I am close to becoming dejected now."

                                                              "We all as a family will pray for you dear Freddy. Never forget that. God will surely help you sort yourself out soon. Stay connected to him."

                                                              "Okay, Aunt Selma. I feel a little better having this little chat with you. Thank you for talking to me now. I will do as you said. Bye for now."

                                                              Selma put her mobile down on the table with a soft sigh. "It's Freddy, darling. He is still in grief over his dad."

                                                              "It's been almost a year since your brother Dan passed on. Don't you think Freddy needs some professional counselling?"

                                                              "He has issues because he was not communicating properly with his dad for many months before my brother had that fatal accident. Unresolved issues between them are now troubling this young fellow. I have advised him to go to Daniel and get some counseling done. I will call Daniel and brief him and set up an appointment for Freddy with him."

                                                              "May be that's the best you can do Selma. Can I get a cup of coffee for you? Or are you planning to go back to enjoy the rest of your siesta?"

                                                              "No more rest for me darling. Do bring me some coffee. I will start working on my papers now."

                                                              Donald brought in two steaming cups of coffee. The aroma wafted up. "Wow! What a lovely aroma dear," said Selma as she took her cup of coffee from the tray, "Thanks a lot dear Don."

                                                              "After enjoying this we will spend time and pray for the children Selma. I think our Mary and Martha also need prayers as they are in their teenage now."

                                                              "True, Don, I agree. We will spend time on our knees for them, and also for Freddy."

                                                              They sat in silence sipping the freshly brewed coffee and thinking.

                                                              As they kneeled and prayed, they poured out their anguish about their children to the Lord. It took some time from them. But as they rose from their knees, they felt lighter in their spirit.

                                                              Don got ready and left to his evening surgery. Selma got busy with household chores she had to do. She went up to see what Mary and Martha were doing. Mary was still fast asleep. Martha was fiddling with her cell phone. She woke up Mary and asked them both to get ready and go for their piano classes. Then she got some waffles for them along with rose milk.

Freddy couldn't sit quiet. He was restless. He quickly searched on the net for the contact number of Dr. Daniel and called him up. It was still Sunday afternoon. He waited patiently for him to answer his call.

Deep in his dreams, the chirping of his mobile disturbed Daniel. He muttered, "My afternoon siesta is too sacrosanct to be broken," as he picked the phone up.

                                                                       Freddy apologized and spoke to him about his fears and his despair. "I cannot forgive myself for setting myself against my dad. How was I to know that he would pass away so soon? Now I am filled with despair. I... I don't think I ought to live anymore. Thinking of the least painful way to exit from this life. Can you help me?"

                                                                       Fully jolted by that confession, Daniel spent the next two hours or so talking calmly and praying with Freddy on the phone. After that crisis counseling, he set up to see him the next day at the counseling center. He had to rearrange his schedule to accommodate him at the last minute. But he did it.

                                                                  Starting that Monday, Daniel and Freddy sat for a series of sessions. Self-forgiveness was the first need for Freddy. It took time, but he was able to, with God's help, forgive himself. Then healing blossomed in his life. He was able to slowly pick up the threads of his life. It took about six to nine months for him to rid himself of self-hurt.

Both Dr. Daniel and his Aunt Selma alternately kept talking and praying with him.

                                                                       But Freddy was not attending church. He felt it daunting to go because many of his father's friends would also attend that church and he wouldn't know how he could answer them. But Selma talked him into it. She said, "You are a child of God, Freddy. Whatever you have done against your dad, God has forgiven you because of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You also have finally forgiven yourself. These friends of your dad are also forgiven sinners and they will certainly forgive you. Be strong and take a step towards them. Do not be in fear. The perfect love of the Lord casts away all fear."

                                                                       It was on another Sunday afternoon that Freddy got the courage to take a step. He had told Aunt Selma, "Let me first talk to Pastor Charles, Aunt Selma. I want to be clear with him before I go to church."

                                                                       "Do talk to Pastor Charles Freddy. He loves you like a father!"

                                                                       So, on that Sunday afternoon, the phone rang in the home of Pastor Charles. He and his wife had just finished a sumptuous Sunday lunch with friends and were deep in their afternoon siesta. The shrill notes of the phone disturbed the old Pastor. He said, "My afternoon siesta is too sacrosanct to be broken,"

                                                                       "Don't say that Charley! it may be some needy soul who is disturbed and needs spiritual counsel." said his wife Carol.

                                                                       Pastor Charles listened intently as Freddy confessed his feelings over the phone. Freddy asked him, "God has been able to heal me over these weeks as I talked with Dr. Daniel and Aunt Selma. I wonder whether I can come to the Sunday Worship Service. What do you say, Pastor?"

                                                                       "Of course, you can come, dear Freddy. Why ever not? Our Church is for people like you. We are all sinners, Freddy, in the final analysis. Some of us are ‘saved sinners’, while others are ‘yet to be saved, sinners’. That is the only difference. Do come to the Church dear Freddy. We will welcome you with open arms. With the love that the Lord has shed abroad in our hearts."

                                                                       Freddy heaved a sigh of relief. He wanted to immediately call Aunt Selma to share how he felt. But something kept him away from ringing her. So, he waited till the evening, before he called her. Aunt Selma was overjoyed to hear Freddy's decision.

                                                              "So, finally, when did you call Pastor Charles?" she asked him. "I did that this afternoon, Aunt Selma!" he replied, "actually I wanted to call you immediately after that, but I remembered not to disturb your afternoon siesta, that Sunday siesta of yours!"

                                                              "Oh, thank you, dear Freddy! God bless you!" gushed Selma.