How to tell if you're valued

Or 'A Tale of Two Churches.'

Many years ago I had written, worked on, and practised a piece of writing for a Christmas show. On the night, just about halfway through the programme, the organiser came up to me and said, 'We're running late. Is it okay if we drop your piece?'

I could have said, 'It's only early evening; I don't think people will mind if we're a bit late,' or, 'Couldn't you drop one of the songs instead?'

What I said was, 'Yes, fine. No problem,' before I sat back down next to Husband and explained, with a forced smile on my face and a stomach doing somersaults, that I wasn't taking part after all.

Yesterday I asked Sean, who leads Zac's, if it was okay if I posted something on the Zac's FaceBook page. I'd been feeling a bit low and thought writing something encouraging might help others as well as me.

Sean said, 'Yes, of course. You don't need to ask. I trust you and value your skill in communication.'

See the difference?