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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Endless (01/09/14)
Jim had lost his way. Willingly he quit the higher purpose for his life and replaced it with a low selfish desire to satisfy his flesh, well aware of how completely he was in the grip of the enemy who assisted him in crafting his means with glad indifference. Though the sting of loneliness and disappointment seared him like a surging cattle brand; a dose of medicine , an indulgence in an imagined or bona fide pleasure, or numb anesthetized apathy would see him through all his rising sentiments of regret.

Yet, dwelling in the loam of his consciousness was a wiggle of protest representing the beginnings of a yearning to revive the God driven life he once lived. For although presently he rarely acknowledged God, he could not disavow the fact that the seed God had once planted remained alive and active; growing slowly now, malnourished and lacking water, straining to push through the hard ground of his heart. He knew someday the seed would break ground swelling and burgeoning once again in the fresh sunlight of his future repentance and longing to walk with God again.

Fulfilling his inventory of sins within a year or so, he came to the ecclesiastic conclusion that all is worthless vanity. It was time to give up his adventures in sin; for boredom, frustration and the early signs of despair had begun to haunt him daily. The devil’s response was a suggestion of sweet caring, non-lustful…romance; true sweet caring love, more than mere lust. Excitement flooded his mind and contemplating, he remembered…..Robin!

“Robin!" The thought of her, the love of his youth exploded within him like fireworks. “Perfect and beautiful!” He knew his Keats, “In her beauty he found truth.” But it was her wide searching eyes that caused him to love her endlessly. She was his first and only love. At seventeen, he found the one for life, but it did not last only his love for her did.

He was driven to contact her after no contact for three decades, and sent an initial email through a third party website daring to hope that she would reply. Oddly, the first indication of his future spiritual restoration was in his prayer to God whom he had so carelessly set aside, that Robin would reply in a manner as lovely as he remembered her.

She responded the same day. Thrilled to hear from him and available, she invited Jim to telephone her. He was not disappointed. The fanciful tone and content of their conversation amazingly picked up where it left off so long ago. Her voice sounded identical to what he remembered; and as in their past encounters, she teased him, throwing romantic jabs, which he was delighted to return. They spoke without pause for six wonderful hours, which seemed like so many minutes, during which they set up a date for the coming weekend.

Dazzled and overjoyed Jim experienced the rare occasion of reliving his first love. Strangely, though the feelings of joy he felt were familiar in the context of his former relationship with God. Pondering this confused him. Romance and God? He recalled passages in the Bible about the bride of Christ and marriage supper of the lamb. He’d figure it out later. Now there was just Robin…

Sadly, their meeting was not the heart throbbing catharsis he had hoped and the devil had promised it to be. It was quickly established that the inexplicable factors that had set them apart years ago were the reasons why they would now remain apart. All that was to come of their renaissance was a casual friendship seasoned with an occasional hint of romance that would never discover its fulfillment.

To Jim it was a gut punch, a blow that doubled him over. Satan laughed and mocked him. Until eventually, he came to himself realizing the illusion of another dead end trap, this one more difficult to bear because he had gambled his deepest emotions on it.

Ultimately Jim recovered and repented, returning, re-anointed with the Holy Spirit at last to his only real true love… God! It was uncanny how near his feelings of romantic love were to his understanding of God’s agape love. Nevertheless romantic love stands on its own merit, but it is a poor stand-in for agape love. Now he knew he could never go back to Egypt. He had entered the Promised Land.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Marilyn Reicks
01/21/14
Your well written story emotionally moved the reader along with the hopes that the man would at long last find true and meaningful love. But your ending went higher than human love, it brought him to the realization that the only true forever love is with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is always there and will not let us down.
Sara Harricharan
01/23/14
Ah, poor Jim, it brings to mind the phrase of "looking for love in all the wrong places". I'm glad he figured out the right place in the end and understood that the kind of love he was craving couldn't be found in another person. I like how your title fit into the story as well.

Thanks for sharing!