Clara and Robert

                      "Are you coming tonight?" Robert asked her. She was silent. A dialogue was running in her mind.

                                                     "Why not go and I can get closer to him."

                                                     "Is it wise to go to a place full of people who are apparently sinful?"

                                                     "Aren't you being pharisaical and showing the leaven of legality?"

                                                     "What Would Jesus Do?"

                                                     "Jesus would have gone and reached out to many in that club."

                                                     Flummoxed, Robert asked again, "Are you with me, Clara? So lost in your own thoughts? I had asked you, Are you coming tonight?”

                                                     Robert was a dashing young man who was the life and soul of parties. A party animal, he was full of fun and games. He was tall, dark, and handsome, too. The dreamboat of many gullible girls of that campus. He could just beckon and they would flock to him. But he wanted to date Clara and Clara alone.

                                                     Clara was the brainy girl on the campus. She was lovely to look at with her lustrous hair and flawless skin. But she was known to be a churchgoer. She had rigid views on morals and would not vibe with the liberal lot of them. Or so it was said. Hearing this made Robert all the more crave to date her. This was the third time that semester that he asked her for a date. He had asked her to come with him in the evening to a racy restaurant where many danced, drank, and dined. Clara was in a dilemma. Should she go with Robert?

                                                     In her heart of hearts Clara too was attracted to Robert. He was the dream of many of her class girls, and some boys too! Clara was a committed believer, a saved sinner who was getting disciplined in a Bible-believing church. Her faith and principles came in the way of her friendship with Robert.

                                                     Coming out of her reverie, Clara realized that Robert was still waiting for her reply. She looked at him and replied, "Er. Robbie, perhaps not this time. Maybe I will come one of these days."

                                                     Leaving a long-drawn-out sigh, Robert said, "Okay Clara. I will be waiting for you."

                                                     Later that evening, Clara sat in the cafe with her best friend Melanie. They brought their steaming cups of coffee and sat at a cozy table for two at the window in the cafe. Melanie was from the same church as Clara, and they were as close as sisters in the Lord.

                                                     "Well, Clara! How are things with you?"

                                                     "I want to share something with you, Mel. Can I?"

                                                     "Of course, Clara. Go ahead."

                                                     "I am wondering what to do about my friend Robert. He keeps asking me for a date. He is a flamboyant boy. Girls say that he has lots of girlfriends and is a Casanova of sorts. Should I go with him? My aim would be to somehow share the gospel with him. If not, who will share it with him? I feel that he may be a bit more receptive to the gospel if it comes from me. But is going on a date with him the best way? Or will I fall from the faith instead? I am not too sure. What do you say, Mel?

                                            Melanie took a deep sip of her coffee before replying.

                                                     "It is difficult to decide Clara, I am sure. But as I know, you are quite firm in your faith. Do you have any idea what he will be up to when he takes you out? "

                                                     "That's one thing I'm not sure about Mel, unfortunately. And am sure whether I will be able to overcome temptations. After all, I am also emotional."

                                                     "Pray, Clara. Pray and ask God for wisdom. He will surely let you know what to do. You can also seek some counsel from Pastor Charles or his wife Camilla if you don't mind."

                                                     "Thank you, Mel. Please pray for me. I will call and talk to Camilla later before I decide and tell him. Why don't you pray for me dear me? Right here, after we finish our coffees?"

                                                     They downed their cups and held hands, closed their eyes and started praying.

                                                     "O Lord our God! we thank you for all your blessings on us. We lift up your Name and adore you O Lord, as you are our Creator and our Redeemer! We come to you this afternoon with a specific request. Please give Clara wisdom and discernment. Especially in the matter of whether she ought to go with Robert for a date. We are not sure, our judgments are sometimes clouded. But You are the Source of all wisdom, knowing the end from the beginning. Please help Clara as she decides on this. Bless Charlene also and help her to give counsel from you. We ask all this in the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. "

                                                     Both said in unison, "Amen."       

                                          They opened their eyes to see a young server come to them. She smiled, "So nice to see you praying here. May God bless you both! We need more people who pray!"

                                                     Melanie smiled back. "Thank you for the encouragement. May I know your name?"

                                                     "I am Janette. Come again, both of you, Melanie and Clara."

                                                     Clara was quick, "How did you get to know our names, Janette?"

                                                     "Oh, I heard you talk to each other. Sorry, I shouldn't have eavesdropped."

                                                      "No problem for us, Janette. Keep praying for us."

                                                     Clara called Camilla. She agreed to meet with her later that evening. They met at Camilla and Charles' home near the church. Offering her a cup of coffee, and taking a cup herself, Camilla opened the conversation, "Welcome home, dear Clara! Share your mind. I am all ears."

                                                     Clara began at the beginning and explained the situation clearly to Camilla. Nodding her head, Camilla listened to Clara fully. Clara could see that she listened to her attentively and grasped the situation.

                                                     "This is not an easy decision to make Clara. I understand why you are flummoxed. Even I am, for that matter. You have to be careful not to fall into temptation. At the same time, you cannot lose a chance of reaching out the gospel to this young man. A lot of prayer is needed, Clara. I will pray for you. I would like you to take the final call on this. In my opinion, you ought to go ahead under prayer cover and see how the Lord leads you. "

                                                     They continued to sit and sip their coffees.

                                                     After they prayed over this, Clara became clear as she rose from her knees. She said, "Dear Camilla, I think I will go with Robert and try to use this opportunity to share the gospel with him. I need you to pray for me especially during this weekend. Will you pray for me, Camilla?"

                                                     "Of course, I will be praying Clara. May God grant you wisdom and discernment."

                                                     The date approached closer. Clara prepared with fasting and prayer. She asked Melanie also to pray for her.

                                                     On the dot at the appointed time, Robert called on Clara who was also ready to go. He whisked her away in his car. They went to a disco and met some friends. Silently praying and with some trepidation, Clara went with Robert.

                                                     The early part of the evening went off well. Robert seems to make an effort to be courteous and kind. Clara was lulled into a sense of satisfaction. Once they had some dinner, they went around to different discos. Robert and his friends would flit from one place to another, sampling the liquor and slowly getting drunk till they can move no more. Their girlfriends also would join them in the fun.

                                                     But now Robert was in a quandary. How can he take Clara around? She was a teetotaler. He asked her once to take some beer at least. But she refused, saying she has never had any alcoholic drinks and that she will not do so now.

                                                     Then gently, Clara got him to listen to her. When he kept asking her, "What would just a small beer do to you?" She took that break to share her own testimony with him. She did not make it a formal one like we hear in churches. She simply told Robert how she was before. Spent a couple of sentences. Then she told about her encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. She told him about her salvation experience and how she became transformed by the Lord after she repented and came to Him. Finally, she related her present status. How she is today. Hearing this simple three-step testimony, Robert started to think.

                                                     It was getting late, and Clara asked to be dropped at home. He took her home and opened up to her. "I often feel inadequate and unsatisfied in my inner self, Clara," he said. "Maybe you need the Lord God to fill the vacuum in your life, Robert," said Clara. She gave him a New Testament to read and told him to call and talk to her whenever he felt like it.

                                                     Robert hugged her briefly and kissed her lightly on the lips as they parted. Clara was very happy that Robert began to think about his own spiritual needs. She immediately knelt down at her bed and thanked the Lord. The next day she called Melanie and also Camilla and told them They all decided to pray fervently that the Lord will work on Robert and give him a divine disturbance till she came to know the Lord.

                                                     A week or two passed and Clara called Robert on a Saturday. She invited him for a special gospel meeting in her church that evening. She said, "Are you coming tonight?" To her delight and as an answer to her prayers, Robert replied, "Sure I am coming."