Half of forever ago we paid a fellow to build cabinets for us. Then, he didn’t.
I can’t remember exactly when we drew up the contract, but we’re getting close to a year on. The past few months, we’ve tried putting pressure on him to get it moving, but it didn’t help.
Rafael has lately taken to threatening him with legal action, which is something I’d never do, of course. The fellow spent the past month in Cusco. I wonder if he wasn’t hiding from us.
I decided recently that I should pray that he would be moved to do the work. I don’t know why I never really thought to make it a matter of prayer. I guess it seemed like it was not worth it.
I know that’s not a proper perspective, and it wasn’t really a conscious one for me. I just let it slide. Rafael said it was far too much patience.
Anyhoo, I prayed and asked God to help the fellow get the work done and to help me have wisdom about what to do. The very next day, he called out of the blue to say he was back from Cusco, and would try to start my work, but that he had other customers ahead of me. (I doubt they’ve been waiting a year.)
Then Wednesday I had the idea to take the fellow some bread since I was out selling. Surprisingly, he was home. The last how many times, he has been gone.
He was shocked by the bread I gave him. He said he hadn’t started the work, but he would. He kept his head hung down. He seemed ashamed. I wished him a good day and left.
Yesterday, I stopped in again. His wife peered out the window when I rang the bell. She’d pretended in the past that she wasn’t home when she would see me. This time she ran down and called for her husband. He opened the door with a smile.
He told me to come in. He had something to show me. And did I bring bread? I told him I did.
He took me in and showed me the work he’d done since Wednesday. He’d knocked out a good bit of progress and was pretty proud to show it off.
He kept praising the bread we’d made and said he wanted to buy some. His wife loved it, he said. I told him he could have more, but it was a gift this time. He was very pleased.
He said I should come back on Monday to see how much he would get done in the next few days. I told him I’d be back.
“Please bring bread,” he said.
And that’s how you get cabinets built in Peru.
“If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.”
Proverbs 25:21-22 NLT
Juan David 