Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Fire-fighter (10/05/06)
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TITLE: Precious is their Blood | Previous Challenge Entry
By Kristie Derksen
10/06/06 -
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I wrenched open the big wooden door, hearing the faint cracking of the large door’s icy encasement fall away to allow my formidable presence through.. My azure glare fell on the oversized staircase leading up to my intended destination. The rise and fall of my heart beat in sync with the echo of my footsteps off the stone walls. I felt as if I was underwater, struggling for breath. Finally reaching the top I found the double doors I had been searching for. Flinging both doors open I walked through, surveying the familiar surroundings. I fell into the first seat I found, trying to calm down my emotions. Leaning my head on the seat in front of me, I took a deep, trembling breathe.
An unwelcome memory flashed in my mind carrying me back to the night I was trying so hard to forget.
Flames were licking up the walls, a fiery thirst needing to sated. The smoke was so thick, I could barely see my feet trudging through the carnage in search of the being attached to the faint scream that was becoming quieter and more sparse. The call to evacuate vaguely registered in my mind, but my heart overrode the order. All I could think about was the precious little girl who needed me.
I remember spotting an unconscious body wrapped around a tiny stuffed bear, and from that moment on I switched into the man I was trained to be. I scooped up the little girl and her bear and moved into action. While making my way out of the house I was fervently crying out to God to save and protect the child in my arms. Bursting out of the house we were instantly surrounded by the paramedics to assess the little girl’s injuries.
I looked over their shoulders as they tried to get her little lungs working again. Her face was covered in soot, with tear streaks on her tiny pale cheeks, the bear quietly by her side. “We’ve lost her.” I remember hearing them say.
My heart seized its beating as my eyes, as cold and blue as a pair of icicles, were involuntarily drawn down the aisle, to rest on the very place my anger was aimed. I slowly began to move forward, my anger building with every step, my gaze unwaveringly steady on my hated target.
“How could You.” I heard my unsteady voice grind out. “You had no reason!” My voice shook with emotion, an unwarranted crack in my steely visage. The wind howled past the windows of the sanctuary, singing a haunting melody.
The cross that bore my glare began to blur, until it was no longer recognizable. Tears began to stream down my face, the icy coldness in my eyes melting into defeat.
“Do you even care?” I yelled.
“Of course He cares.” A gentle voice responded from behind me. “All are precious in His eyes.”
I wiped my eyes, slipping into my indifferent state of mind and stature.
“It was kind of a rhetorical question.” My voice sounded cold, even to me. Feeling uncomfortable in such a state of vulnerability, without turning I rose to leave.
“It says in Psalm 72 verse 14 that ‘precious is their blood in his sight’, so my answer to your question if he cares is that he definitely does.”
“Thanks for that.” I said sarcastically, refusing to turn and acknowledge the man’s presence.
“She has gone to a better place to live with her Lord. You did all that you could do, but sometimes things don’t happen the way we want them to. But God knows what he’s doing, it’s all in his plan.”
“But I don’t understand.” I replied weakly.
“You don’t need to… but you do need to accept it.” The man quietly replied. I let the words register in my mind, realizing that the logic, although simple, was very true. Doing I final sweep of my eyes to remove all remnants of tears, I turned to thank him, only to find no one there.
“Thank you Lord.” I whispered into the quiet, feeling the ice melt from around my heart. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
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This was a good word picture, and you portrayed some difficult emotions very well.