Is "Something" Wrong? Yes, Of Course "Something" Is Wrong!

A while ago, I was at a place where I hang out to get out of the office and do some reading and writing, and I overheard a young couple at a table next to me.  I wasn’t trying to snoop on their conversation.  Really.  It’s just that they were nearby and they were speaking loudly enough that I couldn’t help overhearing some of what they said.

It went, sort of, like this…

Him:  “It seems like, maybe, you’re a little bit upset.  Is something wrong?”

Her: [Sharply]  “Nope!”

Him:  [Very timid]  “Oh okay.  Because I thought I was picking up something.  Like maybe there was a problem.”

Her:  [In a slightly louder voice]  NOPE!!!

Him:  Alright.  I’m just asking.  You know…if…I don’t know…if there’s something wrong.  I want to know.

Her:  [Loud and agitated]  “I SAID NOTHING’S WRONG!!!  ALRIGHT!?!  CAN YOU UNDERSTAND PLAIN ENGLISH?!?!  YOU ASKED ME IF SOMETHING’S WRONG AND I’M TRYING TO GET IT INTO YOUR THICK HEAD! NOTHING! IS! WRONG!!!!!”

Now, the CONTENT of her words is very easy to understand.  However, I ask you, was something wrong?  We all know the answer is:  Of course!  Something was definitely bothering her.  Something WAS wrong.

The irony of the situation is that while that conversation was occurring, I was reading a section of a book that describes how our emotions are capable of communicating very quickly and effectively.  In fact, sometimes our emotions can communicate information that our actual words are not communicating.  The guy in the table next to me was experiencing, firsthand, this reality of emotions clearly communicating something different than the words he was hearing.

At one point, she got up to go to the restroom.  And the young man looked over in my direction and we nodded at each other briefly.  I wanted to communicate a non-verbal message to him.  I wanted—through emotion and facial expression—to communicate this message to him:  “I’m a minister and I’ve counseled with many couples who were experiencing relational problems.  In my carefully considered, widely experienced opinion, your best option right now is to….BEG FOR MERCY!  And if you can muster up some tears, that might help, too.  Oh, and one more thing, use this time while she’s gone to pray.  With great earnestness, man, please…PRAY!”

But I didn’t seem to be able to get that across through sheer emotion and facial expression, so, instead, I just got up and got some more iced tea.  But, being a man of extraordinary compassion—and attempting to follow my own advice—I did pray for him.