I sat on the edge of the bench. The wood smooth under my fingers. I stared out at the lake – a perfect azure blue. The sun sparkled on the water. Two white swans glided by majestically.
I glanced to my left – a squirrel and its mate skittered up a tree. The trunk gnarled with age. How many summers had passed since it was planted? Two hundred? Three hundred?
A young couple walked past hand in hand. She flung her head back, laughing at something he said.
People cheer for their football teams. They rave about movies. They ‘share’ the latest trends. What if we raved about Jesus? Shouted His name from the rooftops? Shared His Love?
We rush around. Our lives are so busy ‘doing’ that we stop ‘seeing’. What if we slowed down? Marvelled at sunsets? Smelt the roses?
My heart was heavy, so many problems, how was I ever going to cope? I had never felt so alone and so burdened. With lead feet, I mounted the stairs. Even my bedroom, with its brightly patterned wallpaper did nothing to lift my mood. I felt isolated, how could some one with so many friends feel so desolate? I peeled back the bed covers, swung my legs into bed and switched out the light. Now the room matched my mood- dark, black, cold. Sleep was a long time coming, but finally I felt my eyelids grow heavy and close.
Through closed eyes I could sense the bright, white light. It was blinding. Tentatively I tried to open my eyes. It was dazzling, never had I seen such a light which seemed to be emanating out from a centre. Gradually my eyes became accustomed to the whiteness; a sun had never shone so bright. Then I saw him……. Right in the centre of the light, a man, smiling, with his arms outstretched, clothed in a brilliant white robe, sandals on his feet. He beckoned to me, and I felt compelled to go to him. I don’t normally approach strange men, but there was something about him, something non threatening, and I knew that if I did not go to him, I would regret it forever.