Reconciled
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle A
No one could remember when the trouble between Mark and Sue began. Their differences of opinion had caused a major rift between them at work.
Mark was new to the job, eagerly looking forward to a fresh start with a new company in a new city. Sue, on the other hand, had worked for the company for a decade and knew the other workers well, as well as the intricate workings of the company. In Mark's mind it seemed as though Sue and her friends were ganging up on him. It seemed that they were forever trying their best to make Mark look bad in front of the other workers and the boss. Mark confided to a new friend, "They are not even giving me a chance to prove I can do the job."
Before too long Mark and Sue stopped speaking altogether. Mark would walk past Sue without looking at her -- without speaking to her, not even a "hi" or "hello." Nothing. Even though Sue stopped speaking with Mark she felt secure in her position. After all, she had been with the company for many years. It wasn't as though she would be the person to lose her job. The conflict bothered Mark a lot more than Sue because his job was on the line as well as his reputation.
Before too long it became obvious to the other employees that Mark and Sue were not able to work out their differences. They were not as productive as they should have been either. Mark will admit that after a certain point he stopped trying altogether. A consultant, Hank, was brought in to try to patch things up. Hank invited both Mark and Sue into the conference room hoping that they would be able to work out their differences. First Mark was given the opportunity to share his perceptions of the problems he was having with Sue. "She has been trying to sabotage my work since my first day on the job!" he bemoaned. "That's not true," Sue said defensively. "I guess I was just joking around." Hank's skill was in bringing people with problems together. He interjected that maybe Sue felt threatened by Mark. Not only was Mark younger, he had just graduated from college with a specialized degree, something Sue did not have. Both Mark and Sue pondered that statement.
The next step was to bring Mark and Sue to speaking terms. Hank explained that it was important for them to look at each other when they spoke. When Mark told his side he looked at the floor or at Hank, or at a painting on the wall, at anything but Sue. When Sue spoke she looked at Hank, avoiding so much as even eye contact with Mark. "It is important to look at each other when you speak," Hank told them. Reluctantly Mark looked at Sue and continued. Sue looked up at Mark. The conference ended with a small breakthrough. The first important step had been taken toward reconciliation. They agreed to try to work together, not to allow their personal differences to interfere with their work.
Still Mark kept his distance, not going out of his way to avoid Sue, but nonetheless trying to avoid Sue as much as possible. Sue, on the other hand, was making an honest attempt to be friendly and to speak with Mark every chance she had. This went on for several weeks until Mark recognized Sue's effort and also began making some effort to restore their broken relationship.
Eventually Mark and Sue became friends and they remain friends. Once they were able to understand each other better as well as themselves, they were able to start over in their relationship and soon discovered that they actually had common interests.
Mark was new to the job, eagerly looking forward to a fresh start with a new company in a new city. Sue, on the other hand, had worked for the company for a decade and knew the other workers well, as well as the intricate workings of the company. In Mark's mind it seemed as though Sue and her friends were ganging up on him. It seemed that they were forever trying their best to make Mark look bad in front of the other workers and the boss. Mark confided to a new friend, "They are not even giving me a chance to prove I can do the job."
Before too long Mark and Sue stopped speaking altogether. Mark would walk past Sue without looking at her -- without speaking to her, not even a "hi" or "hello." Nothing. Even though Sue stopped speaking with Mark she felt secure in her position. After all, she had been with the company for many years. It wasn't as though she would be the person to lose her job. The conflict bothered Mark a lot more than Sue because his job was on the line as well as his reputation.
Before too long it became obvious to the other employees that Mark and Sue were not able to work out their differences. They were not as productive as they should have been either. Mark will admit that after a certain point he stopped trying altogether. A consultant, Hank, was brought in to try to patch things up. Hank invited both Mark and Sue into the conference room hoping that they would be able to work out their differences. First Mark was given the opportunity to share his perceptions of the problems he was having with Sue. "She has been trying to sabotage my work since my first day on the job!" he bemoaned. "That's not true," Sue said defensively. "I guess I was just joking around." Hank's skill was in bringing people with problems together. He interjected that maybe Sue felt threatened by Mark. Not only was Mark younger, he had just graduated from college with a specialized degree, something Sue did not have. Both Mark and Sue pondered that statement.
The next step was to bring Mark and Sue to speaking terms. Hank explained that it was important for them to look at each other when they spoke. When Mark told his side he looked at the floor or at Hank, or at a painting on the wall, at anything but Sue. When Sue spoke she looked at Hank, avoiding so much as even eye contact with Mark. "It is important to look at each other when you speak," Hank told them. Reluctantly Mark looked at Sue and continued. Sue looked up at Mark. The conference ended with a small breakthrough. The first important step had been taken toward reconciliation. They agreed to try to work together, not to allow their personal differences to interfere with their work.
Still Mark kept his distance, not going out of his way to avoid Sue, but nonetheless trying to avoid Sue as much as possible. Sue, on the other hand, was making an honest attempt to be friendly and to speak with Mark every chance she had. This went on for several weeks until Mark recognized Sue's effort and also began making some effort to restore their broken relationship.
Eventually Mark and Sue became friends and they remain friends. Once they were able to understand each other better as well as themselves, they were able to start over in their relationship and soon discovered that they actually had common interests.
