Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Vision (08/03/06)
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TITLE: Underlined and Highlighted | Previous Challenge Entry
By Venice Kichura
08/04/06 -
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“Hallelujah! Glory! “ The other prayer warriors joined in, jumping up and down, as Cindy stood, trembling in the middle, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Only they weren’t tears of joy, but tears of grief. And, now she wondered if anyone really saw visions. If anyone needed a vision it was her. After losing a baby, she needed to know that God spoke directly to her and not just through others.
About all I can do is underline and highlight bible verses. And, yeah, I do host a weekly prayer group,she thought, wishing she heard from God more and flowed in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Confused, she buried her face in her hands, wanting to believe Pam’s vision for her life, but remembered how someone else had also had a vision that her unborn child would be used mightily by God.
The prayer meeting ended as hugs were exchanged. “See you next week……praying for you, Cindy.” Her friends reassured her of their support as they left. Although she was hurting, it was still good to have them come. It had been the first prayer meeting held there since little Joshua had been born stillborn two months ago. And, somehow she still believed in miracles---other peoples’ miracles.
Still angry at God, she hadn’t spent time alone with Him since then, or even gone back to church. Her prayer group was her only connection with the body of Christ.
She searched for her Women’s Devotional Bible but couldn‘t find it. Instead, she grabbed another one she found lying in a corner, probably left by someone in the prayer group. But it was unmarked…No underlined or highlighted verses. What’s more, she couldn’t read it, anyway, as fresh, falling tears blurred the print.
Tossing it across her bed, she got up, closed the blinds, locked her door, and took the telephone off the hook, crying,” God, you’ve got to show me a vision! I can’t even read Your Book now.”
She fell back into bed, staring at her bottle of sleeping pills on her nightstand, thinking I can’t go on another day. Then her gaze shifted to family photos of her husband and parents.
A sudden knock on her door interrupted her troubled thoughts. When the knocking didn‘t stop, she finally drug herself out of bed and opened the door. She stared into the face of a young woman who looked vaguely familiar…
“Hi, Cindy? Remember me?”
“You’re…?”
“I‘m Julia. We shared a room at the hospital…. I tried calling several times, but got a busy signal. Seems we’re neighbors, too. I live on the next block….”
“Listen,” Julia continued, stammering. “I can’t stay long as a friend’s watching my baby…but I just wanted you to know how sorry I am about your baby…. I didn’t rush over here at first because I didn’t know what to say…”
“How did you get my address and number?” Cindy interrupted her, puzzled.
“I found them in your bible,” Julia said, pulling it out of her bag. “That’s also why I’m here…Seems I accidentally picked it up. A friend had given me a Woman’s Devotional Bible to read in the hospital, so you probably have mine. I started reading it after I got home. The underlined and highlighted verses spoke to my heart. You see, I‘m a single mother who almost had an abortion…I’m sorry I’m just now returning it, but I couldn‘t put it down. I read it every time I put my baby down for a nap.”
”Look,“ Julia continued, flipping to the book of Romans, …..”You’ve underlined and highlighted…. ‘For we know that in all things God works together for good……’”*
“My life was a mess……but the scriptures you’ve underlined and highlighted have given me renewed strength and hope. See, here’s another one.…. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.’”**
“You can keep the Bible,” Cindy said, softly brushing her shoulder. ”We’ll just trade. I think God wants to give me some new scriptures to underline and highlight. The ones in my old bible are still in my heart,” she added. “Guess I just stopped believing they were for me. Thanks for reminding me.”
And Thank you, Lord, for sending me a “vision“.
*Romans 8:28 (NIV)
**Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)
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One tiny nit-pick: "drug herself out of bed." I don't believe you were referring to pharmaceuticals here, but meant to use the past tense of "to drag", which is "dragged." I sure understand, though, because in some parts of the U.S. it's common speech. (I'm still wondering if my baby sister set a trend years ago, when she encountered a thorn bush: "Daddy, I pruck myself!")
Anyway, it's sooo good to see your wonderful talent blooming in the EC this week! Blessings, sherrilee777
I'm still in shock that I placed!