Second Half

Tom lay on his bed, wondering where it all went wrong. His thoughts began to look back at the events before reaching his current situation.

His business was on the verge of bankruptcy. His employees went on strike for him to be ousted because of his unfair treatment. Added to that, his wife caught him in a love affair with his secretary while she visited his office to bring him food.

He was asked by his board members to take a break to resolve his personal problems. The vice-president would, in the meantime, take his place to take care of the company problems. As he reached home, he opened the door and saw no one. He called his wife and his children, but no response was made.

He then noticed something on the sofa. He picked it up and saw a note written for him by his wife. He read it and learned that they moved out to stay with her mother for a while. He learned of how tired they were of the way they were treated. She asked him to clear his mind and visit them when he’s into his senses. This devastated him, in that he went to his room to think about all that happened.

As he lay on his bed, he heard the doorbell. It was his workmate Ron who visited to help him in his difficult situation. They talked in the living room, and Tom told Ron how he tried to be the best husband and father possible. He couldn’t understand why he went that way.

Ron advised him to go back to his life, for he might find the answer to his question. So Tom did, and this was what he shared with Ron.

“It all started with a talk of aiming for high goals. I wanted to pursue that. However, my weaknesses challenged me. I wanted to do things within my comfort zone. I failed to accomplish the things I needed to do, and I would reason with excuses. So I had to overcome them. It wasn’t easy for me, but I managed to persevere.”

“But I didn’t mean to become a hated person. I did this just to please my father. He wanted me to excel in everything. So I did, but he never got to appreciate any of them. I was hurt, and I had to mask it so that he won’t reprimand me. He hated seeing me cry.”

“There came a time when my mother decided to separate with my father. She couldn’t stand his treatment to us, and she caught him with his mistress. She planned that we, siblings, would move out with her. But he demanded that only I stay with him.”

“My mother objected, but he insisted. He gets mad when things don’t go his way. We couldn’t do anything but accept it. I was more than hurt with what happened. I had to act this way to not feel this pain.”

Ron started to understand Tom’s painful past.

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t be like my father. Now I became that man. There was a time where I looked back at my life and felt that I missed out a lot. So I began providing my own needs, and it caused a lot of disagreements with my family. I felt misunderstood, hence the affair. I never wanted all of this to happen.”

Tom cried in his anguish, and Ron did everything to comfort him. He advised Tom to let go of his hurt, forgive his father, and dedicate his life to Christ. When he did, he felt a sense of peace and freedom.

After that prayer, he regretted the time wasted for not being a better individual. But with the new life he found, he desired to change. It was late at night, and Ron needed to go. Tom asked Ron to pray for him that he would overcome his personal hurdle. Ron willingly agreed.

Tom was determined to make that change. He visited his father, who was eating alone in his dining room. It took Tom months to reconnect with his father and be comfortable with him again. But in time, he was able to give his forgiveness to his father and lead him to the Lord. He visited his mother and siblings and talked to them about that encounter. And he was also able to lead them to Him.

He ended his relationship with his secretary. It was mutually agreed that the secretary is assigned to another manager. He went back to the company, humbly apologizing to the board members and employees. He vowed to change himself and make things right.

It wasn’t easy for Tom, but he felt God’s grace. The company bounced back to become one of the top international business corporations. Added to that, he went home with an unexpected surprise. Tom saw his wife and kids again back at the house. He was grateful to see what happened. It was there that they forgave one another and reconciled.

"I may have a bad start, but I can make a great ending.", Tom said.

He's now starting to become the spiritual leader he was meant to be. And his new chapter continues on.