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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Fearful (08/23/07)
Judy stopped to help the young mother attempting to take care of a screaming child and several bags of groceries without losing the cart in the process. The woman gave a strained smile of thanks as she turned to hold up the mini van’s back door and quickly toss the groceries in the back one handed.

Judy noticed this struggle even as she tried to get the child to stop crying with little success. Usually kids of all ages warmed right up to her.

The woman looked close to tears as she tried several times to get the door to latch as she let it down. “Could this day get any worse?”

“Here, let me try that for you while you put your little girl in the car.”

With a nod accompanied by a frazzled look the woman whisked the child out of the cart and headed to the passenger side of the van.

“It hurts, mommy.” The child’s words managed to make it through her crying.

“I know, honey, but we’ll be home soon.”

Judy silently prayed for the little girl’s hurt as she tried closing the van’s back door. It closed on the first try to her amazement. She felt compelled to walk to the passenger side to speak further to the woman and pray for the little girl.

She paused. What if the woman wasn’t ready for such an approach on an already bad day? What if the prayer did not get answered causing the woman to doubt God?

Judy bit her lip and walked away pushing the cart to a return stall several cars away. As she turned to look at the van, it was already backing so it could head the other way down the row. He shoulders slumped as she watched it disappear.

The girl had needed that open prayer. She hurried to her car to hide her tears forgetting she had been heading into the store. What kept her from doing what she had felt compelled to do? Why could she never come right out and simply offer prayer to strangers when the Spirit led her to? She knew the answer even as she asked the questions of herself for the thousandth time.

Fear! Simple fear of being humiliated for offering a prayer in Jesus’ name stopped her. People in the Bible even accepted death for proclaiming His name in all they did. She could not even accept the possibility of a wrong look.
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This article has been read 886 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Tammy Johnson
08/30/07
Great start - you engaged me, but I want more! Does this experience give her boldness for the next encounter or does she fail again? Does God give her a second chance with that woman at the gas station? There are endless possibilities for closure for this story and you have definately show the skill to get it there.
Ann FitzHenry
08/31/07
I loved the message of this piece. So true....
Jan Ackerson
08/31/07
Very good--thank you for leaving some details for the reader to infer--a sign of a good writer.

Given the title, I think you could end two paragraphs earlier--that'd leave your readers with more oomph.
Peter Stone
09/01/07
Good message. How often do we let fear stop us from display Christ's light in front of others?
Rhonda Clark
09/02/07
I do like this story and the moral is wonderful. Many times we let the moment pass when we shouldn't.

The end does need a boost.

Great job.
Marilyn Schnepp 
09/03/07
Such truth in this entry! Fear of being "put down" or "humiliated" IF we mention religion or Jesus's name to somebody in this Godless world of today! But this author has given me something important to think about. Many thanks! Good Job.