Shadow | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Shadow | Previous Challenge Entry
By Glen Goddard
11/02/15
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Andrew, young man in his sophomore year of college, who grew up in an atheist home setting, had made it his life's goal to be an Olympic gold-medal diver. He spent every waking moment training individually and with the college team toward that goal. Peter, one of his teammates and a friend, who trained just as diligently as he did, was an outspoken yet respectful Christ-follower.

Sunday was a mandatory non-training day to give their bodies a chance to rest and rebuild. They were used to rising early for training during the week so it was natural on Sundays they would meet up at the college coffee to chill. Andrew always thought it just a little weird that Peter was so adept at turning a discussion often toward Christianity. Andrew listened politely. He had to admit that what Peter shared from the bible made sense, sometimes. He even debated with his friend but that is as far as he wanted to go. Several times he was almost persuaded to ask Christ into his life. Almost. But 'first things first' were his motto. His focus was on getting to the Olympic stand and having that gold medal hanging around his neck.

One night, intending on going to the library for some research, he found the library closed. He stood for a moment wondering what to do next. Always thinking about training, he headed for the pool. He had gotten into the habit that semester of always carrying his trunks in his backpack. He got to the pool and found the door open but the lights were off, He did not know where the switch box was located. However, as the pool had large skylights and there was a full moon overhead, even though it was a little dark, there was enough light to practice by. He dug his swim trucks out of his backpack, changed and climbed up the 10-meter diving board. Stepping onto the board Andrew walked to the end. Looking down at his feet he turned around to position his feet on the board correctly for his first dive.

As he shifted his feet and weight of his body, his mind was running through some of the coaching tips he had gotten earlier that day. Lifting his head and straightened his body for the dive, he raised his arms straight out from his body sideways before bringing them together in front of him. Suddenly he froze. There on the wall was his shadow from the moon and it looked like a man on a cross. A chill went through his body and a disturbing sense of dread that something was not right. Suddenly it all sort of made sense what Peter had been sharing with him for months. He could not put off Jesus calling him. He took a step forward on the board away from the edge and knelt down. He prayed a simple prayer and somehow that sense of dread left him. As he stood up he heard a door closing at the end of the pool. Then he heard a rattling of keys and the next thing he was bathed in a flood of light as the lights came on. Now he could see the maintenance man by the electrical panel. Then he saw something else that put a chill into his heart. Looking down he saw that the pool had been drained of water.

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