I may be an atheist, but you are crazy!

One day a friend of mine came to see me to talk about a sorrowful situation that had struck his family: his parents were on the verge of a divorce because of his father’s unfaithfulness. My friend suffered because he saw that the love between his parents had grown cold, but what he could not bear was the thought that somebody else was going to decide which son would go with which parent. This meant that he was going to be separated from his only brother, to whom he was very attached.
I was deeply affected at hearing this news and I had a hard time overcoming the sadness I felt. What was more, my friend did not practice any particular religious faith and I feared I would only make things worse if I mentioned God. I felt sure I would be misunderstood; nevertheless I also felt that, as a Christian, it was my duty to try to be an expression of God’s love for my friend in some way.
This realisation helped me to see beyond the painful circumstances and recognise that this was a countenance of Jesus crucified and forsaken who had taken upon himself every human suffering. I offered this thought to my friend saying, “In your place, I – as a Christian – would give my suffering to God; I would put my problem in his hands so his will be fulfilled for the greater good. I would trust that whatever he has reserved for my future is the best thing for me.”
His answer was: “I may be an atheist, but you are crazy!”
Far from getting discouraged, I insisted: “Come on, it’s worth trying. Simply say to Jesus, ‘I put this suffering of mine in your hands;’ then be at peace and wait for things to develop.”
As he was leaving, I assured him that he could call me anytime, whenever he needed help. I could see that he was still struggling.
The next day, to my great joy, he phoned me saying that out of desperation, he was “forced” to follow my advice and put his suffering in God’s hands. I could tell that he felt a little better. After another couple of days, he called again saying that things had settled down; for the moment there was no talk of divorce and he would not be separated from his brother. His mother had forgiven his father and they were reconciled.

S.D. (Italy) – from Fioretti di Chiara e dei Focolari
St. Paul Publications