Can There Be A Perfect Fraud Conversation?

Until yesterday, my answer would have been a smug and certain: "No!"

Now, however since it has happened, yes there can be.

As anyway dealing in collections or fraud can readily testify, perfect conversations are few and extremely far between.

Yet, yesterday, just in time to to cross the quitting line, it happened.

I was involved, but not sure how that happened or how it went in my favor in the manner that it did.

Let's just say the conversation began with a gentleman from up north assuring me that he had fraud, or rather a fraud account in his name, he didn't do it and no one he knows would have had anything to do with it.

I found the devices that he was certain were fraud and that appeared via a miracle cause that's the one and only way he could even be on the periphery of fraud.

He was familiar with the address the store where the devices were bought but swore up and down and side to side neither he nor anyone he knew ever, never went into that store.

He kept trying to goad me into losing my patience and or temper. I refused.

I stayed very quiet and just let him talk.

He kept avoiding on of the two streets located near this store.

I finally said something like, "at the risk of baiting a mousetrap, we've already established no on in your family lived on the first street, but please humor me and see if anyone you know ever did live on it."

I tossed the name of the second street on the table for the first time.

This was probably 20 minutes into the conversation at this point.

Incredibly, if I was reading him correctly, it was a miracle he was still calm and patient. Even when the street name popped out.

He got VERY quiet when I said the street name.

He said something like, "Oh this can't be possible. Just can't be. They lived on that street and the kids was involved with drugs. Just a horribly bad situation. I can't believe this has happened."

I patiently reminded him that nothing had happened. At that point, all we had was a coincidence.

I asked him to please do me a favor and remain calm and let's just think about this.

I asked if it was possible "he", whoever "he" is, could have relapsed and gotten in a bad spot?

He nearly started crying and said, it would be his greatest fear, but yes.

So. I said, please just stay calm, reach out to your friends and throw some softball questions out about how things are now.

At this point, one could hear the tears in his voice.

Remaining calm, he thanked me. No other words, just "thank you."

I offered little else except please remember his friends are human and probably need a friend right now more than anything else.

I encouraged him to just call them, quietly share his tale, and ask if there is anything he can do to help.

That's it? Let them take it from there and follow there lead.

If you have ever been involved in one of "those" conversations, you know how tense and intense they can be.

The Lord was keeping a grip on my mind and tongue yesterday.

And, I am pretty sure because of that, what could have been the end of a years long friendship was saved.

Hopefully a young person deeply involved with drugs and other bad things was given the opportunity to salvage a future, and someone kept a nasty temper under control and had a real conversation, perhaps for the first time ever. From what he said, anyway,

I never thought I could maintain a calmness like that during that conversation. I probably had very little to do with it. Shoot, I know I didn't. I just stayed out of Abba's way!

And, the only reason I have for sharing it today is to verify that not only do miracles happen, they can happen even in difficult conversations.

Perhaps you've been involved in something like that. Perhaps there is something like that on the horizon. Perhaps you have a friend that needs a friend like you right now.

Just keep your eyes, ears, and hearts open.

Listen to what Abba is saying to you.

Listen to what is being said around you.

Maintain your calm.

Just be you. It is within you. Don't lose sight of that.

You can work miracles if you stay out of your own way.

Go for it!