WHAT WILL YOU GIVE | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: WHAT WILL YOU GIVE | Previous Challenge Entry
By Valerie Routhieaux
07/16/06
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WHAT WILL YOU GIVE

“What will you give for your soul?”

I stopped. What did he say?

“What will you give for your soul?

I looked around to see who had spoken. He was on the corner encased in a sandwich placard. A wooden cross leaned against one of those neon store signs.

I wanted to hurry on my way, but my feet felt rooted to the ground. My heart pounded in my chest as he shouted again.

“What will you give for your soul?”

What would I give? My thoughts turned to all the things I enjoyed most: My X-box, hanging out with my buds, throwing back a brew, girls, ah, yes, girls. How about cigarettes, getting high once in a while, wild parties?

“What will you give for your soul?”

I looked more closely at his clothes. He wore jeans and a tee shirt. I couldn’t see it behind the placard, but I could guess from other people who claimed to be Christians that he wore one of those ‘Jesus’ shirts. He also wore sandals on his feet, and had pamphlets in his hands.

Then I looked at the sign. My eyes were drawn to it. I wanted to avoid what it said, but couldn’t.

WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?

Eternity, oh yeah, it was one of those things preachers talked about. If you were good, you went to heaven, if you weren’t you went to hell.

My brain slipped back in time. I was on the couch in my living room. My parents had the TV on. There was a preacher. He pointed his finger at the camera and right at me. I remember thinking, ‘I’m a kid. Eternity is a long way off. Then there was the song: Just As I Am.

My feet were moving. Not away from him, but towards him. In my mind was the preacher’s voice from long ago. “You can be saved tonight, just ask Him.”

He turned to me a pamphlet extended toward me.

“How can I be saved?” There it was. It was out before I could stop the words.

Compassion, and I can only describe it as love looked back at me.

“You must believe that Jesus loves you so much that he died for you. Do you?”

I nodded my head my tongue was stuck in my mouth behind the prison of lips and teeth.

The look of compassion never wavered. Understanding was seen in the look on his face, and in his next words.

“Would you pray a simple prayer with me?”

Again I nodded, still unable to speak.

“Father, thank you for bringing this lost soul for Your kingdom.”

He looked into my eyes.

“What is your name?”

“Bill.”

“Bill, I want you to repeat after me.”

“Okay.”

I nodded my head, still uncertain about what I was doing, but somehow in a strange way it felt like the right thing to do. My insides were like jelly, my palms were sweaty; perspiration formed beads across my forehead.

He smiled and seemed to know the struggle I was having.

“May I take your hands?”

He reached for my hands, which also reached for his like a lifeline.

“Just repeat after me.”

I nodded. Slowly I repeated the simple prayer. “Father, I come to you today, and ask You to save my soul. Wash me in the blood of Your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for all my sins. I’m sorry for all the things I’ve done wrong. Thank you for saving me, and giving me eternal life with You. In Jesus name, amen.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks. What I felt at that moment was an indescribable joy. I know there was a smile on my face, it felt like it stretched from ear to ear.

He was shaking my hand. “Do you have a Bible?”

I shook my head, and he turned to the cross that suddenly had new meaning for me, and pulled out a Bible from a paper sack, and handed it to me.

“Thank you,” I said.

I turned from him then, a brand new person. All those things that I thought I would never want to give up somehow seemed unimportant. I had a new purpose. I would start by reading the book I had been given.

What will you give for your soul?

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