Dust and Ashes | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Dust and Ashes | Previous Challenge Entry
By Duwana Brennen
01/29/09
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Sydney always felt a deep connection to God, but lately she had been having nightmares and found herself getting very little sleep. Her dreams were full of large black shadows and angry rumbles; things got so bad she decided to go to her bible study group for a few sympathetic ears. After comparing stories, other Christians began to share similar stories. The one thing they had in common was the Lord’s Prayer, each person’s dream ended immediately after the words ”Kingdom come”. That night Sydney found herself soaked with sweat standing in the middle of the road; she did not know how long she and the others had been there. Once she became fully aware of her surroundings, she realized the sky, with its threatening clouds, was dripping with red. The clouds were close yet still far away—they shifted and crawled across the sky forming large mammoth looking shadows that looked like mountains. Instinctively they formed a united front and simultaneously began to pray “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come . . ..”
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My eyes felt as if they had been glued shut by mud and dirt. As I struggled to blink free from darkness, I could hear voices around me. A clash of foreign voices rushed to my ears, question after question alarmed my mind.

Were they crazy? Of course I was alive, I wasn’t hurt and I certainly felt okay.

A blink forced its way out and suddenly voices became colorful blurs of movement. Through half-opened eyes, smiles reassured me that I would be okay; I felt sheltered rather than afraid. I adjusted to my surroundings, closed my eyes, and drifted off to the sound of warfare prayer. Were we at war?
When I awoke for the second time, I found myself in a makeshift shelter. It was obvious something was out of sync, so I decided to take it slow. I moved gingerly, although I felt no pain, and began to inspect my body—my mind began to take inventory.

Alive? Check.
Cuts or bruises? None.Check and check.
Limbs intact? Check, check, check.
Clothes? Check.
Where am I? Hmmm, not a clue.

I rose from the cot and stepped towards the gently-blowing flap of the shelter and inched closer to the curious fragrance of grass and flowers. Happy clamor invited me to step out, but my pounding heart filled my ears and caused my feet to hesitate. Bubbles of nerves made their way to my already quivering limbs. But the words “don’t be anxious” and “fear not” created a peace that enabled me to push beyond my surroundings. What my eyes witnessed, my brain could not comprehend.
The first person to break through my amazement was Justice, she was tall and slender with kind eyes and the most genuine smile I had ever seen. As others crowded around, Justice began to unveil the details of all that occurred while I slept. There were still unanswered questions as to how I got here, Justice could only fill in the specific pieces of what occurred after she and her brothers found me. Apparently, what I thought were moments had been days, and I was hoping someone could tell me about the world I once knew. I was directed to a middle-aged man sitting beneath a grand oak, but I could hardly focus as smells began to overwhelm my senses. There was fruit everywhere, beautiful and ripe. My favorite fruit caught my eye and drew me in with the promise of red sweetness. I had never seen strawberries such as these; the smell was heavy and light at the same time. I reached down and plucked the golf ball sized strawberry off the vine and held it to my nose and inhaled the lemony-rosy-leafy smell—each bite held me captive. My curiosity, however, curiosity about how things came to be this way, interrupted the newness of flavor. I made my way towards the massive tree and its guest in hopes of having some missing pieces finally form a picture. I listened as he told me how the world I once knew had been hurled into and out of holy warfare. The others had formed a united wall of prayer, praying for God’s Kingdom as His promise returned full circle. Dust and ash covered the earth, and one person in this group didn’t survive—me.

After a long pause, He continued.

“Syd, you were My first resurrection.”

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