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TRUST JESUS TODAY

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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Friend (11/02/17)
Charles wept as he knelt at his bedside. He was deeply distressed as he seldom prayed in this manner. His knees hurt against the hardwood floor. The physical pain did not register as it was swallowed up in the mental torment. A single line from the Sunday morning sermon haunted him - "An isolated Christian is a paralyzed Christian."

Charles blurted out, "I am paralyzed! I don't have one single friend!"

He thought of his one and only lifetime friend who had passed away five years ago. It was his wife. He finally accepted the fact that he was old now, and he was alone. He realized he had lived a life without friends and never allowed himself to grow in relationships.

"What's wrong with me?" he cried in earnest. "How can I possibly change a lifelong pattern of pushing people away?"

Tears of remorse flowed down his cheeks as he mumbled to God. He recounted the lost years and the many people he had rebuffed by his untrusting attitude.

This prayer was different. Charles waited in expectant prayer, disregarding his aching knees. He thought, maybe Jesus would actually say something right here, right now. Possibly an angel would intervene with a word or a sign as he waited in faith.

"Maybe I am thinking and acting like a fool," he thought.

He pushed the thoughts aside and mumbled the Name. It felt so precious.

"Jesus." He waited. "Jesus." He continued to wait.

He persisted in earnest prayer and reminded the Lord of the persistent widow who had pestered the magistrate to hear her plea.

"Jesus!"

In a moment the unmistakable presence came. No words were needed to be spoken. The answer was in his heart, in his mind, in his soul. It was irrevocably imprinted by the majestic advent of the Spirit of God. Charles yielded to the life-changing impression. He was never the same after that. It had been engraved on his inner soul. He had heard about agape love, the God kind of love, but now it was real.

"I was raised in a culture that says one thing and does another. That's how my parents were, self-contradicting, spiritually dull. Now I am just like them! I am entangled with things of no real value and lost focus. I am self-absorbed and forgotten my first love. "

Charles arose from his bedside mumbling, rehearsing in his mind, wanting to change, praying for himself and fellow Christians.

"Love is the great commandment of the Lord! How could I miss that? It's the greatest of all the spiritual gifts. I have spent a lifetime as an annoying clashing cymbal! Oh Lord Jesus, help me! Help me now. I need you more than ever."

He wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve as he arose from his bedside. He recalled the promise in the Bible, "Behold all things become new." He felt an inexplicable peace of mind and became aware that he was grinning. God had heard him, and he felt humbled, honored, and full of a bubbling inner joy.

"Now I belong," he whispered. "Yes, it's true. All things become new!" It was all he ever wanted and more.

The following week, Charles went to the men's fellowship group. He was determined to move away from isolation and give love. Ministry opportunities soon developed for him. Before a month had passed he was known as a regular at the food serving line of his church-sponsored mission and a faithful member of the prayer team.

Charles was smiling as he dished up mashed potatoes and gravy in the serving line. He was delighted with his new situation, especially the rapid development of friends on his prayer team.

"Let me wipe that gravy off your apron," said Sarah.

Sarah was serving next to him and gently dabbed at the dripping goo with her hand towel. It was at that moment it dawned on him that she had consistently made an effort to be next to him. He remembered all those times he had held her hand in prayer.

"Oh my!" The very thought of a female relationship was far from his agenda.

"What do I do now, Lord," he silently prayed. "All things really do become new!"
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Member Comments
Member
Date
C D Swanson 
11/10/17
Touching entry, so well done!
Blessings~
Bonnie Bowden 
11/11/17
We were never meant to live in isolation only in community. That is why God made Eve.

Well done story.
Jenny Fulton 
11/12/17
Good job portraying the anguish and then the development of the mc.
Dave Walker 
11/15/17
A good illustration of the loneliness of friendlessness and how we can bring that on ourselves by not engaging.
May I suggest a couple of things that could improve the article?
Firstly, repetition tends to detract from, rather than emphasise a point. In the first paragraph, Charles wept, he was deeply distressed and he was swallowed up in mental torment.
Secondly, it makes things more vivid in the reader's mind if we can think of ways to show something, rather than just tell the reader. For example, if Charles knelt by his bed, pulling at his hair and wiping tears from his eyes, the reader would know he was distressed without your having to just say so.
It was a great story, showing how an encounter with Jesus can not only draw us to Him, but to other people. That's truly what He does.