“You’re being very quiet,” he said.
“There’s a lot to think about.”
Sure was. “Look, speaking as your best friend, as someone who has known you all your life, then I have to admit that I am a little concerned about the speed of which this has happened. It bothers me that you’re even asking these questions, when for years you’ve been firm on what Dream Match is and isn’t.”Lord, help me say this kindly so she hears and isn’t offended.“For years you’ve dreamed and planned about Dream Match, so it’s a shame to think that people you didn’t know three months agoare now making you question whether you should alter the very DNA of the app.”
“Are you sure you’re not jealous?”
Fear spiked. “Of what?”
“Of my new friends. These people. Jordan, you know that I’m trying to get ahead in the world, and these people can help me. It’s all about connections. And living where I lived, the kind of school and university I attended, I have to admit it’s not exactly set me up for making a success of my life.”
Whoa. This was way more serious than he’d thought. What was the best way to tackle this?Lord? Help!
He spoke slowly, praying she’d really hear his words. “EJ, the fact that you have been able to produce an app that is already accessible around the world says that those kinds of connections aren’t nearly as valuable as you might think. Look at what you’ve been able to achieve already just by your hard work. Don’t discount that. Don’t look down on the past, don’t sneer at those who have helped you along the way. Attending public high school in Wattle Vale helped give you all the tools you needed to create that app and ignited the passion to make a difference in other people’s lives. You did that. Not any of these rich people with their fancy connections.Youdid that. You and God.”
“And you,” she murmured.
Finally.He shut his eyes. “Do I need to take the day off tomorrow? Watch some movies with you and remind you of why I’m your best friend?”
“That’d be great, but I don’t want you getting sick.”
He was tempted to say that getting sick would be worth it, just to spend time with her, but that sounded dumb, and probably wasn’t true, so he refrained.
“I’ll be praying you feel better soon,” he said instead.
“Thanks.”
“Hey, that reminds me. What are you reading in the Bible these days?”
He could almost hear her cringe as the seconds stretched. “Um, I’ve been a little busy lately.”
He’d figured as much. “Hey, it’s never too late to start. I’ve been reading through the Gospels again, seeing what Jesus is telling His disciples. Pastor Bryan preached about loving your enemies last week, so I read about that in Matthew 5. Reading what Jesus says is always good.”
“I’ll get reading again.”
“I think it’ll help remind you why it’s important that the app sticks to its Christian roots. People need Jesus, and hey, who knows but God might be able to help people find Jesus through using the app. That’d be awesome, don’t you think?”
“Yeah.”
Her tone didn’t scream enthusiasm, but he’d put it down to her sickness. He remembered the days when they’d travel to Christian youth events and she’d pray that God would use her. Actually …
“Do you remember those years when we travelled up to Katoomba and went to those Christian youth events?”
“Wow. That seems so long ago. Why are you asking?”
“Because I just thought of it now. How many years ago was it that you were praying each day that God would use you for His kingdom?”
“I don’t know. Ten years? Maybe twelve? I haven’t thought about that in years.”
“And here you are now, with an app that does exactly that. Blessing Christians around the world, helping people find relationships and sometimes even marriages, growing families, and strengthening communities, just because you asked God to be used by Him and asked for wisdom, and He gave you Dream Match and more.”
“Huh. Wow. You’re right. Thatispretty awesome.”
“God is faithful, EJ. See what He’s done in the past ten years? You can keep trusting Him with the rest of your future too.”
“I know. Thanks for reminding me.”
He silently exhaled, as once again she seemed to steer back onto the right path. Away from temptation. Away from those who wanted to sabotage who she was and what Dream Match was about.
