Friday, October 13, 2017

Catch 22

A woman once came to see me for counsel. Some robbers, she said, who had been high on something, had burnt her house down in the process. The police cornered them, and she laid criminal charges. The next day, a gang boss came looking for her. She had better withdraw the charges, he said. The robbers were part of his operation. He would pay her R10 000. She said: “What shall I do now? The damage is much higher than R10 000.” I said: “Are you insured?” “Yes,” she said, “but that’s the problem. If I withdraw criminal charges, I have no basis for an insurance claim.” I said: “The house is gone. Could you stay away from the area?” “Yes,” she said. I said: “Stay away, and see how God leads you through the events that follow -- the charges might not make it through the system anyway.” OBSERVATION: There are quite a few variables here. For example, was she correct about insurance, charges, and so on? Then, did I give her sound advice? At any rate, I gave her spiritual and emotional support.

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