HUP 3 – November 4, 2025

Gary sat in the back of the class. Thirty five… never married. According to a questionnaire Gary filled out for the session, Hup read he was once engaged. As a plumber, Gary had a well paying job. He took care of his fiancé, paying for her four years in college… room and board… before she received her teaching degree. On commencement day, she threw her academic hat in the air, tassels aflutter… gave Gary’s ring back, and said – quite cruelly, ‘Oh, how I waited for this day – four long years.’ 

“So what you said to Shelly… I suppose that applies to me.” Gary stated flatly, but he couldn’t mask his bitterness. “Everyone in this room knows what happened – my… ‘EX?” 

“I know. Ouch.”

“Hey – Come on, just say it…. God’s will, right? Funny how that always seems to mean my pain.”

Hup looks at the others in the room. “Is that how we say it? We do. I’ve had it said to me… actually, we’ve all probably heard things said like that… God’s will… you got to have faith… it’ll be all right, and then it goes even worse.”

“And that’s grace?” Gary’s question slipped out a little more caustic than he wanted. “Sorry.” 

“Thank you,” Hup simply acknowledged.

“I’m sure you’ve prayed with each other about it.”

“Yeah.”

“How’d that go?”

“It went,” Gary shrugged, and looked at the others in the room. “I know you meant well.” 

Hup watched as Gary’s shrug and comment appeared to raise the shoulders of everyone else in the room. 

Hup shrugged. “Okay. Do you realize we all shrugged? God’s grace is not given to accommodate us. It’s given to bring glory to himself, and glory does not come with a shrug. God’s glory comes when we set our face, set our feet firmly, point our toes towards his throne. It’s a march—Hup… two… three… four. Not in unison yet. But we’re moving. As far as the seeming meaninglessness of the words of encouragement we use… it’s not that we don’t mean it… we hope for the best. We do care, but sometimes we get divided.”

“Yes, sometimes… as God granted the devil to test Job. Other times? It’s our flesh…  we get weary.

“Are you weary Hup?” Tim had drifted behind Hup during the shrug, hands on the chair back.

“Right now? Today? No. I’m just grateful that God brought this day to pass, and I’m here with all of you. I’ll collapse when I get home. That’s what happens when the supposed extrovert gets home and is able to exhale.