Myrtis felt discouraged because she was cheated out of $200 by someone she thought was a Christian church friend, named Odessa. Odessa said that she needed to borrow $200 for extra money towards her car note for a used car that she bought 4 months ago. Odessa borrowed the money from Myrtis, making false promises to pay her back when she got her next paycheck.
The day came, where Odessa kept dodging & ignoring Myrtis's calls for about 2 weeks. Myrtis was low on food to feed her 2 kids, & she had just found out that her husband ABRUPTLY packed his belongings & moved out, without warning. Myrtis also just got her Master's Degree in Nursing. So, she had a mixture of both good & bad experiences going on at the same time. She was too embarrassed to tell other church members & the pastor about her situation for fear of being publicly ostracized. Just because of that, for a split second, she thought about wanting to give up on God, & felt like God wasn't there for her, & that God would judge or condemn her like the church people would. Then, she feared even more so about going to hell. She realized that it would be silly for herself to turn away from God & lose faith over a temporary situation & petty $200.
After that, she started getting on her knees, praying & crying to God about her situation. & the Holy Spirit showed her:
Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God doesn't think the same way as we do.
& also Micah 7:5-6
Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies [are] the men of his own house.
Even a Christian church friend will fail you & can't be trusted. Myrtis started to think about the hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", & then she started to praise & worship Him.
Shortly after, God answered her prayer by sending someone to give her 10 HUGE boxes of food. The 10 boxes of food came from a next door neighbor who so happened to have WAAAAY too much food that he got from the food bank. & he was a younger guy living all by himself. Just 1 person. Myrtis didn't have to worry about food for a good 6 months. & that food was able to be stretched.
Hallelujah! Amen!
She still never heard back from Odessa, but found out through another church member that Odessa's car got stolen, & that Odessa lost her job. Odessa quit going to church & relapsed into her crystal meth habit that she worked SO hard to detox from.
The End