You Held On!

[Timl1980]

Good morning everyone, I wanted to take a few minutes to relate an experience shared by a very brave young sister who I met at a hall in Northern Wisconsin a couple of days ago. Graciously she has allowed me to share her experience, and I felt that this was the appropriate place to drop her story.

 

As always, what follows is not her exact wording. I have taken a bit of creative license in order to really highlight the beauty of our older brothers and sisters.

 

I am no longer young, and frankly I am simply out of touch with a lot of the issues that young ones face today in our congregations. 

 

But anytime I hear about a young brother or sister showing true faith in the face of whatever Satan can throw their way, I am deeply encouraged. That's why I'm choosing to pass along the following experience: 

 

You  Held On

 

Our sister was working at a small grocery store in central Minnesota when a certain violent political act took place, an act that rocked the nation. 

 

In a show of solidarity, local management decided that all employees would wear a small colored ribbon attached to their work uniform. 

 

Most of her coworkers pinned it on without even a second thought...but not our young sister. 

 

When a ribbon was handed to her, she quietly explained that, as one of Jehovah's witnesses, she stayed neutral on political issues and would therefore not be wearing the ribbon. 

 

Outwardly, the management said that they understood her stance and would not force her to wear the ribbon. 

 

But secretly, one of the managers began to spread the word about our sister refusing to take part. 

 

What started as nasty rumors and whispered hate-filled speech soon turned into open mockery by the majority of her coworkers, management included. 

 

One coworker, an older woman who had been very friendly to our sister, openly approached her and said that she should be ashamed, that there was no real compromise in just wearing the ribbon, even if she didn't agree with the message behind it. 

 

Other coworkers soon grew bolder in their displays of nastiness; openly mocking her in front of customers and calling her "cold" and "unfeeling".

 

One customer even spat on a receipt as she tried to hand it to him and told her, "THAT'S what I think of people like you!

 

And yet our young sister didn't lash out, she didn't storm off her job. She kept bagging groceries, greeting customers, and performing her job with dignity. 

 

Less than a week later, our young sister was offered an assistant manager position at a rival grocery store, in part because the store manager of that chain had witnessed some of this and was extremely impressed by her refusal to respond in kind...and her steady presence at work despite what she was actively enduring. 

 

But that's not where this story ends. 

 

An older brother and his wife had been shopping at that grocery store and saw firsthand some of what she went through. She had no idea they were in the store come but they approached her after Sunday meeting, hugged her, and shared the following: 

 

"Rebecca, (not her real name), my wife and I just wanted to say how proud we are a few and the courage you showed at your job. Would you mind if I shared a scripture with you?" The brother asked, as his wife clung to our young sister.

 

Habakkuk 2:4: "Look at the one who is proud; He is not upright within himself. But the righteous one will live by his faithfulness."

 

He then asked Rebecca what she got out of that scripture, and she replied that Jehovah was telling her she had to have strong faith.

 

He nodded and said that a lot of Jehovah's people read this verse and get the wrong impression from it. 

 

"The verse isn't saying, am I BRAVE ENOUGH? Rather, it's actually saying: Will I STAY LOYAL?"

 

Seeing that she looked confused, he clarified that Jehovah's not looking at how STRONG you feel inside...he's looking to see if you'll keep showing up...if you'll STAY loyal...even if everything else seems to be falling apart. 

 

Sensing that she was still a little unsure, the brothers wife chimed in: "You know, I remember when you were just a little girl at the lake. You waded out too far, and suddenly the water was over your head. You panicked, remember?

 

You thought you were drowning. But I’ll never forget what you did. You didn’t try to swim back on your own, you just clung to your dad's arm until he pulled you safely to shore. Do you remember that?"

 

The brother nodded and jumped back in: "That’s exactly what we saw you do at work this week. You didn’t need to feel strong inside.

 

You just needed to hold on...to stay loyal. That’s what that verse really means means when it says, ‘The righteous one will live by his faithfulness.’ Jehovah doesn’t measure the strength of your emotions...he treasures the grip of your loyalty.

 

So don’t ever think you failed because you felt weak. Jehovah saw what you were going through, and look at the outcome now because you stayed loyal!"

 

 

The young sister related this experience to me and a couple of other brothers and their wives, and it wasn't long before the sisters were engulfing her in hugs.

 

I just wanted to share this experience, it may not have the flash and bang of other experiences from our brothers and sisters, but it was extremely encouraging to me...so thank you for allowing me to share it!

[Dages]

47 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

it may not have the flash and bang of other experiences

in Jehovah's eyes, she certainly was a beautiful firework, that's all that matters.

Edited yesterday at 12:10 PM by Dages

[dljbsp]

That account hit me hard. It reminds me of what Paul told Timothy: “You, though, have closely followed my teaching, my course of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, my persecutions, my sufferings…” (2 Timothy 3:10, 11 NWT). The point Paul made wasn’t that Timothy had to feel powerful enough to face it all, but that faith and endurance would carry him through.

 

What struck me in this sister’s example was that same quiet endurance. She didn’t fight back, didn’t run away, but kept showing up with dignity. That’s loyalty in motion.

 

@Dages already said she was like a firework in Jehovah’s eyes — I’d add that sometimes the brightest sparks don’t explode in the sky; they burn steady in the dark where only Jehovah sees them. And that’s enough.

[LeolaRootStew]

That's such an interesting dilemma. This shows again that neutrality has nothing to do with the merits of the underlying topic, but if it is taking sides in politics. Good for her for standing firm.

[Roxessence]

2 hours ago, Timl1980 said:

Habakkuk 2:4: "Look at the one who is proud; He is not upright within himself. But the righteous one will live by his faithfulness."

 

He then asked Rebecca what she got out of that scripture, and she replied that Jehovah was telling her she had to have strong faith.

 

He nodded and said that a lot of Jehovah's people read this verse and get the wrong impression from it. 

 

"The verse isn't saying, am I BRAVE ENOUGH? Rather, it's actually saying: Will I STAY LOYAL?"

 

Seeing that she looked confused, he clarified that Jehovah's not looking at how STRONG you feel inside...he's looking to see if you'll keep showing up...if you'll STAY loyal...even if everything else seems to be falling apart. 

 

Tim thank you for sharing this Beautiful experience!   WOO- what an Excellent way to start the day!  I love how Jehovah blessed her loyalty So quickly by the actions of the rival grocery store & doubly by the lovely encouragement of the dear brother & sister.   This day is off to a delightful start 🤗🤗🤗