Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: FRESH START (01/05/17)
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TITLE: A New Day | Previous Challenge Entry
By Stanley McMahon
01/11/17 -
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The weakness of the plan lay in the fact that he had been there before and about ten minutes and one coffee into his new life, he realised he was facing a wall of difficulty. How do you actually do this?
He had called into a local diner that promised hot coffee and a warm atmosphere that stretched to an invite to ‘Come On In!’ He had accepted, and was pleased to see that he wasn’t the only man sitting on his own. Two tables down there was someone else, and in the corner near the door, another man hugging a cup.
He didn’t want to move on without formulating a plan for the rest of his life. On a very practical level it was cold outside and he could enjoy the heat until he felt like he was outstaying his welcome, or until he had been glared at by the staff too many times, whichever came first.
On the veneer table-top there was a local newspaper, a good excuse to stay a while longer, and a good place to start looking for a job. Besides, the coffee was actually decent and the background music was pleasant enough.
He closed his eyes and for the first time in as many years as he could remember, he got the urge to pray. He didn’t really know where to start, how to address God, or if he was even in a position to do so. He was just thinking through that when he felt tears coming to his eyes and beginning to trickle down his face. He couldn’t remember a time when that had ever happened and he certainly didn’t understand where it was all coming from.
In his world, men didn’t cry and any emotion shown was a sign of weakness, apart from anger, of course. He glanced furtively around to see if anyone had seen him, but the others had troubles of their own. Some more people had come into the diner and it was starting to fill up.
He was finding it difficult to concentrate on the newspaper and the thought of a job, since his energy had been focused on what was happening to him. He was about to get up and go, take a walk and clear his head, when he felt he was thrust back into his seat by someone. That scared him. He wondered what was happening to him, if the alcohol was working on his mind or worse. Then there was an unexpected wave of emotion came over him and he started sobbing uncontrollably. Loudly.
He was approached by a waitress who asked if everything was ok. Clearly it wasn’t, but when he just looked at her, unable to formulate words, she left him and went straight to the man in the corner. She seemed to explaining the situation to him and within a minute Jim had company.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m making a fool of myself. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I think I’m having a breakdown or something.’
‘That’s okay,’ said his new companion, ‘Jesus wept’. And if it’s okay for him, it’s okay for all of us.’
Jim had never thought about that before. Companion seemed to be inviting him to talk about himself, so he did. And when he started, it just kept coming. Everything. His messed-up life, his resolve to try again that kept breaking down, his desire to start again, but not knowing how, and then this, breakdown or whatever it was. By the time he had finished, his coffee had long gone cold and Companion was still there.
‘That is an incredible story Jim. You mentioned you didn’t know if you were in a position to even speak to God, but where you are now is exactly where God can help you. You need to accept that you can’t do this on your own and believe that Jesus can forgive your sins and give you a new life. A fresh start, Jim.’
They embraced as Jim surrendered his life to God. It was a new day indeed; the first day of the rest of his life.
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