Best Friends Forever by Kimberla Lawson Roby Page A

was.”
    Celine sniffled and nodded in agreement.
    “So today,” Pastor Black said, “I want to speak on the topic Faith, Trust, and Belief.”
    Celine pulled out her tablet and opened her Bible app, waiting for Pastor Black to tell them which scriptures he’d be reading. Lauren did the same.
    “If you’ll turn with me to Psalms ninety-one, two,” he said, allowing a few seconds for everyone to find it. “And it says, ‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.’ Then, if you’ll turn to Psalms fifty-six, three and four. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’”
    Celine read this scripture again, even after Pastor Black had moved on to others. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Celine had seen and heard these two verses before, but it wasn’t until now that she paid close attention to them. Here she’d been crying, complaining, and feeling down for days when her focus should have been more on God. It was always so easy for folks to claim they trusted and believed in Him—including her—but deep down, they looked for the worst to happen. They allowed fear and doubt to set in, and faith escaped them. Trust and belief became nonexistent. Celine had allowed the same thing to happen to her, but not anymore. And in seconds, she felt her spirit being renewed. God had spoken to her mind and heart, and she’d heard Him. So from this moment on, she was going to depend on God the way she’d been taught by her mom and her maternal grandparents. No matter how tough the road ahead might be, she wouldn’t give in to it.
    Pastor Black turned his Bible. “And finally, one of the simplest yet most meaningful scriptures of all is Proverbs three and five, which says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to your own understanding.’”
    Celine reread this scripture as well. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to your own understanding . She closed her eyes, mentally reciting the words over and over. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to your own understanding. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to your own understanding…
    Celine felt tears filling her eyes again, even while closed, but this time she cried with joy. Not because she knew what would happen with her biopsy, but because she felt God’s presence and she believed He would handle everything. Cancer or not, she was going to be fine. With God’s help she would deal with whatever was coming. With His love, she would prevail in the manner He chose.

Chapter 11
    C eline waited for Dr. Jones and his nurse, Tina, to leave the procedure room, and then she got off the table and removed her surgical gown. They’d just completed the biopsy, and thank God they’d only given her local anesthesia, because she’d ended up having to go to the doctor’s office alone. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been able to drive herself there or that she wouldn’t be able to drive back home, it was the moral support she’d needed and wanted. It was her husband, who she’d asked to be there for her. But as she should have easily expected, Keith had told her he couldn’t reschedule his morning meetings and that he was sorry. He’d even gone as far as saying, “Can’t Lauren go with you?” but Celine hadn’t bothered responding. She’d not said another word to him from that point on. Then, before he’d left for work, he’d rattled off an uncaring “Good luck with everything,” which had sounded as though he were speaking to someone he barely knew. Celine had actually considered calling Lauren the way Keith had suggested, but she still wasn’t ready to discuss the problems they were having. She certainly didn’t want to talk about those issues