Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Illustrate the meaning of "It's No Use Crying over Spilt Milk" (without using the actual phrase or literal exampl (02/07/08)
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TITLE: Safekeeping | Previous Challenge Entry
By Karen Petty
02/14/08 -
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Through the years, he would bring home flowers after his late hours at the office. Tandra missed her husband but understood the demands of his taxing job. He was there for the big events like the birth of their twin boys, which she was thankful for. That was eight years ago. While Tandra felt she was loved, she still recognized a measure of loneliness within.
After several invitations from a neighbor, she began visiting a local Christian church. To her surprise, the people there were warm and approachable. There was something about just being there that made her feel better. One day at a Wednesday night Bible study, she gave her heart to Jesus. It filled her with such joy. She gravitated to the other young mothers there at the church. Her boys enjoyed their friendships there, as well. Getting to know Jesus afforded her a peace that she had never experienced in her life.
One Thursday evening, Tandra had cleared away the dishes from the dinner table as usual. Jack’s chair was rarely sat in these days. But she kept a plate in the warmer, for when he arrived. This evening however, would be different than all the previous ones.
The boys had been asleep for an hour when Jack arrived home. Tandra welcomed him. Then sat calmly, with little to say as Jack devoured the fresh vegetables and grilled pork that Tandra had so carefully prepared. She prayed under her breath and handed him an envelope that he seemed to recognize even without opening. “I found this in the jacket pocket when I dropped your suit at the cleaners on Friday”, said Tandra with tears in her eyes. What she had found was a love letter from one of Jack’s female co-workers, expressing her undying love and even plans for an upcoming getaway.
“It was only a matter of time”, the words seem to stumble out of Jack’s mouth as if somehow this was a relief to him. But it certainly wasn’t a relief to Tandra. Everything that she had thought was her life was crumbling to a painful halt.
The two talked into the night, and off and on throughout the following week. Jack had said that he loved her as the mother of his children, but could not and would not give up this other woman. He’d said that he loved her like he had never loved anyone before. That was not at all comforting to Tandra. She poured herself into her quiet time with God, which wasn’t very quiet after all. Tandra hadn’t known that she had that many tears inside of her. But one thing that she could not ignore was the undeniable presence of her Lord’s love.
She firmly believed that God could heal her marriage. But, it was over. Jack saw to that.
Tandra pulled into the parking lot of the school to pick up her boys. While she waited, she went over a few files that she had brought with her from her new job as a Human Resource Manager. It had been years since she had worked fulltime or even done anything with her college degree. But, she was adjusting and actually enjoying her new position.
Tandra’s life was certainly turning out differently than she had mapped out in her younger years. She sometimes replayed things in her mind guessing at what she might’ve done differently that would’ve caused Jack to be faithful. But, there was no use in that now. Besides, she really was happy. She was settling into her job. Her sons enjoyed being part of a local scouting den. Both she and the boys looked forward to their time at church and continued to cultivate valuable friendships there. She prayed that time spent with their father would be quality and that her boys would be an example of Christ’s love to their Dad.
Tandra believed that her heavenly Father had specific plans for her and her sons. Things were not always easy. But, God was taking care of them and she knew it.
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