I put my phone down, took a long drink of Tetley Tea and rubbed my temples. That last statement was part of call number four. Four angry people. Four people who had hit their limit. Four people who had one thing in common.

Such is the result of a smear campaign. The brutal lies of those who have a self determined case for revenge. The best way to hurt someone who has refused to bow to a demand is to convince others that refusal was born of a deeply ingrained character flaw. It took only gathering a circle of three to spread the cancer of gossip throughout the world I once thought loved me. The people I cared so deeply about were now having meetings about me without my presence.

Why? Because God does not have a mind to tolerate bullies, especially bullies who attack those who are less powerful than them. That was no consolation to her, though. She managed to gather herself only to have the tears return. I stayed silent. Sometimes the ministry of presence is the most loving.

Finding ways to help people grieve, release hurt and anger, let go of the dream that came crashing down on them and find a new journey is never an easy thing. Letting go of what was for what is and is coming is like wrenching a fifty-pound stone out of a muddy rock quarry. It’s messy. It’s resistant. It takes every ounce of determination and strength one has.