Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Start (01/16/06)
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TITLE: The Desire | Previous Challenge Entry
By Kate Wells
01/20/06 -
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"Just tell me what to do!" she slung back through tears of frustration. "That's what I need to know now!"
"You've got to break it off. There's no other answer."
"But, Chris, I care about Josh! I think I love him...I don't want to hurt him. It's not that easy... I wish you could understand."
"I do understand", she replied, "but will Mark understand? You're risking everything...your marriage, your job, your testimony, for crying out loud! You're supposed to be a Christian."
Rachel shot her friend a look that told her she had crossed the line with her last comment. She stood up suddenly, almost knocking the chair backwards and began gathering her purse and keys. Chris went quickly to her side and apologized for being so blunt. She hugged her and gave her a tissue from her purse.
"Rache, I've got to get back to work. But I want you to go home and think about this. Really think. You know you love Mark and he loves you. This thing with Josh is some kind of emotional fantasy...that's all. You need to pray. Give it to the Lord and ask Him to help you. I'll call you tonight."
Rachel nodded as she sniffled into the tissue. Chris was right. She needed to pray. She wondered, though, if God would even hear her now...given the choices she had made recently.
As she drove toward home, she thought about her situation. She kept going back to the beginning. Trying to remember how it all started in the first place. When had friendship become this other thing?
It had seemed so innocent. Josh was easy to talk to and sweet. He seemed interested in every opinion Rachel had. Their desks were close together and their lunch hours were at the same time. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with having a salad together. He made Rachel laugh. They were just friends. Where did it start? The desire. The thing that was not friendship. She couldn't remember.
Nothing had happened between them. But they both knew that it could. They were on dangerous ground now. Had been since they had exchanged cell numbers and began talking to one another after work. Calling one another for advise about personal things. She had recognized the warning check of the Lord in her heart, but she had chosen to ignore it.
The sound of a horn honking behind her jolted her back to reality and she realized the light had turned green and her car was not moving.
She turned right just to get out of the way of the traffic and saw that she had pulled right next to a church. It was not her church. But she felt God's presence and the doors were open. She went in.
She looked about her at the high ceilings, the stained glass windows and the crucifix that dominated the front of the sanctuary. There were a couple of people kneeling in prayer in different parts of the building. Other than that it was empty. She slipped into a pew and waited to think of the words to tell God she was sorry. To ask His forgiveness. While she was waiting, the oddest thing happened. The words from a song came back to her. A song she had not heard since highschool."
They echoed in her head. "How quick a glance can turn to romance and the lives of so many are changed forever."
That was it. She remembered. It was in the eyes. One day they had been laughing at something in the office and their eyes met. And that was the start... The thought entered her head that she was falling in love with him. She should have stopped it then. Yes, that was the start.
Suddenly, she thought of a verse...something about thoughts being conceived and growing into sin which produced...what was it?... oh yes, it produced death. *
She slipped to her knees and prayed. "Forgive me, Father. I've sinned against You and against my marriage."
She immediately felt the soothing peacefulness of His forgiveness like oil flowing down over her head, cleansing her mind and heart. She knew what she must do. And now she had the strength to do it.
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*James 1:14,15
"But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."
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