Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS (don't write about the song) (05/14/15)
-
TITLE: Lord, I'm Available | Previous Challenge Entry
By Catherine Craig
05/20/15 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Even as my already edgy husband hit the brake, I risked his further ire by springing from the still-moving rig tightly clasping the house key. I sprinted up the outside stairway and into the house, scooped up the pile of evangelism leaflets I’d almost forgotten, and raced back.
Winded, I hauled myself up unassisted into the diesel pickup and said simply, “I forgot gospel tracts. Who knows if the Lord won’t have an assignment for me? I need to be ready.” Beside me in the early-morning darkness, I heard a sigh.
Our silent trip to the Alaska Marine Lines’ ferry dock was too brief. We threaded our way through the busy parking lot around other Whittier-bound vehicles traveling from South-Central Alaska toward Anchorage.
After pulling to the curb by the brightly lit one-story ferry terminal, Bruce turned off the engine. In one fluid motion he pulled his large frame through the door. “I’ll be right back; wait here,” he said.
Neither the prospect of my scheduled exploratory surgery nor the tedious six-hour ferry ride across rain-soaked Prince William Sound appealed to me, but the anticipation of seeing our youngest daughter in Anchorage did. I wearily leaned my head back and rested, watching through the rain-streaked windshield as the early morning light fought its way through the clouds and mists hanging over the harbor. “Oh!” I cried, startled when Bruce tapped lightly on my window, tickets in hand.
“Let’s go! Hurry,” he said briskly, helping me get out of the truck to line up with others walking onto the ferry. After a quick hug, I joined those in line boarding via a narrow enclosed walkway. My belongings disappeared out-of-sight, piled onto the baggage cart.
“Bye!” I called, but Bruce had already climbed into his rig, joining the stream of passenger vehicles exiting the lot.
A short while later, sitting sprawled across seats bolted to the floor, I’d wedged my bunched up jacket to cushion my back from the hard wall. With a light blanket spread over my lap, I absently stared out the rain-streaked windows opposite me at the monochrome landscape. In my hand I held a Bible tract, a miniature Gospel of John.
Glancing up, I noticed a woman with a dejected air, and discreetly studied her as she passed by my table. With shoulders slumped, she walked slowly, keeping her dark eyes downcast.
Even her clothes seemed to sag.
I straightened, and put my book down, when she paused at my table. With eyes averted from mine, she nodded at the small Gospel of John on the table, and said quietly, “I like what you’re reading.” The droning engine and the buzz of nearby voices almost drowned out her words.
Feeling guilty, I shifted my eyes back to the tract – and then to the Danielle Steele novel I’d set aside. It’d been a mental skirmish over which to read first.
“Would you like to sit down?” I asked, and pointed to the row of seats opposite mine. Remembering my prayer I’d silently prayed, “God, I’m available if you want to send someone my way. Use me”, I offered, “You seem troubled; can I help?”
Surprisingly, she said, “Yes, that would be nice. Thank you.”
Searching for something to say, I asked simply, “Do you read the Bible?”
“Yes. I, and my children, pray all the time,” she answered, and her face brightened. “God helps us,” she said with a glimmer of a smile that I noticed didn’t quite reach her eyes.
As she described the disjointed pieces of her life, my heart broke for her. At the end of two hours, we were still there.
I asked her if she was interested in having a personal relationship with God, based upon his perspective revealed in the Bible. She said yes.
We discussed how people are separated from God by the wrongs we do, and what he has done about that. I wrote down the simple steps he outlined in the Bible – which can be found at the end of this book. Then we prayed.
At the end of our intimate talk, she took away the diagram I’d drawn together with notes I’d made for her to follow up with. I felt satisfied, and she felt encouraged. She even walked differently.
God took me at my word, when I prayed. Lord, use me. I’m available. How different it might have gone, had I not planned ahead in faith!
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
I stumbled over a few lines and had to reread them. I will often ask someone to read my story aloud or read it aloud myself. If I notice a stumble, it's a good chance the line needs reworking. For example, I might tweak this line like this to help it flow better: In the early-morning darkness, I heard my husband sigh. (It also makes the second part active instead of passive.)
This is a wonderful example of how God can use us in ways we might not anticipate. I enjoyed your fresh take on the topic. This is a great example of writing on topic without using the topic words. I enjoyed the ending too. You had some great descriptive lines. I think my favorite was Even her clothes seemed to sag. What a wonderful way to set the atmosphere. I enjoyed this from beginning to end.