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Beauty For Ashes
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TITLE (EDIT)
Beauty For Ashes |
DESCRIPTION
This story is about new beginnings in Christ Jesus.
[1,174 words] |
TITLE KEYWORD
Motivational |
AUTHOR
Sarah K Lewry |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
I am a committed Christian devoted to serving God with my writing and other gifts.
[May 2006] |
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
[email protected] |
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (3)
Taking Out The Trash (Short Stories) This story reminds us that Jesus wants to take all of the "Trash" out of His children's lives. He understands our hurts and fears, and wants us to be free. [1,735 words] [Spiritual]
The Judgement (Short Stories) This story is about a Christian standing before God and Jesus to be judged on her life. It also includes my personal testimony in the story. [1,639 words] [Motivational]
Walking With Jesus (Short Stories) My personal testimony of my relationship with Jesus Christ. [976 words] [Spiritual]
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Beauty For Ashes
Sarah K Lewry
I watched as everything I once had held onto burst into flames. Those flames danced around, as if they knew how afraid I really was. I felt lost, broken and helpless. It seemed as if every single friend I once had had turned their backs on me. I had never felt so desperate in my whole life.
I remembered a friend I knew years ago, and wondered where He had gone. I cried out to him many times, and waited for His reply. I shouted, �Where are you, Lord? I am so afraid! Why have you gone away? Why have you left me here on my own?�
Finally, my friend spoke. �It is not me who has left you, my child. I am still here. The real question is: Where are you? Where have you gone?�
For some reason, the second my Savior spoke, my eyes were opened to the truth. I realized that I had fallen away from my friend, and more than anything, I wanted to be with Him again. �Lord, help me! I�m going to burn in these flames, Lord! I�m afraid! Please help.�
I was trapped on the top of a burning building called Self. I had tried to escape this building on my own, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not get away. I decided to cry out again. �Lord, save me. I don�t only want you to save me from the fire! Save me from myself! Save me from the person I�ve become. Please, Lord! Please!�
I heard a sound and looked below me. The building was almost completely in flames. In a few minutes, the building would collapse and it would be too late for me to be saved.
�Lord, I don�t want any of these things anymore. I don�t care about Self anymore. All I want is you. Help, Lord! Please, help!� When I became hoarse from shouting, my Savior finally relented. He reached out to me and asked, �Do you trust me?�
I wept and said, �Yes, Lord. I trust you. Please, save me.�
His enormous hand reached down and grabbed me effortlessly. When he set me down on the ground, I started weeping again. He looked at me, concerned. �My child, you are safe now. Why are you crying?�
�It was so scary in there. I thought I was trapped in there forever. It was awful, Lord! There were flames everywhere! There was so much smoke in there that I could hardly breathe. I thought I was going to die.� I wept for many hours.
While I wept, my Lord wrapped His loving arms around me and comforted me. Finally, he spoke. �My child, I know you were frightened. I know how you felt when you were in that burning building.�
�But where were you, Lord? I kept crying out to you. Didn�t you hear me? Didn�t you care about me? Don�t you love me?� I knew how much my unkind words were hurting him, but I couldn�t stop shouting.
I watched my Savior�s face. There was a look in his eyes that I had never seen before. He spoke again. This time, His words shocked me. �My child, I was in the middle of those flames. I know exactly what you were feeling because I have been there before. Don�t you remember what I did for you long ago, even before you were born?�
He pulled His sleeve up gently. I wept at when I saw a tiny scar on his wrist. I wept for the many years I had wasted trying to be someone I wasn�t. I wept for the pain I knew I caused my Savior when I had shouted those unkind words at him. But most of all, I wept for the pain my Lord bore for me on the cross. When was the last time I had thanked my Lord for dying for me? When was the last time I thanked Him for saving me from other fires in the past? I didn�t even remember. All I knew was that it was the perfect time to start thanking Him.
�Lord, you have given me so much. I have often taken what you did for me for granted. I have tried to run away from you when times were hard. I have even tried to give up on you. But through it all, you were still faithful to me. You never left my side. When I wept, you were weeping with me. When I sin, you always forgive me and accept me with arms wide open. I deserve your rejection and condemnation, yet you promise that I will never be condemned. You shouldn�t have died for me! You should�ve saved yourself.� I tried to break free from my Savior�s grasp, but he held on to me firmly.
�My child, I have already died for you. I have already saved you for your sins. I will never take back what I have already given you. I have already given you freedom and forgiveness. All you can ever do, my child, is accept what I did, with a heart of gratitude.�
I don�t know how long we stood there embracing each other. In my Savior�s arms, I felt safe, protected and loved. I didn�t ever want Him to let go of me. I wanted to stay there in His arms forever. Finally, He broke free from my tight grasp and said, �My child, I will still be with you wherever you go. Never forget that. Sometimes I will seem to be far away and impersonal, while other times, it will feel like I am so close that I am embracing you. I wish I could tell you that you would never have to go through something as painful as that again, but I can�t promise you that. All I can promise is that I will always love you, no matter what. And one day, I promise, the fires will be over. When that day comes, you will look back on these painful moments with a smile. You will forget the pain you had to go through during these moments. All you will remember is that I was with you in these times. It will seem as though I am letting go of you right now, but I will never let you go. Farewell, my child. I love you.�
I stood there for a few minutes, and stared at the pile of ashes that lay on the ground. That was all that was left of my selfish desires. I started cleaning up the ashes and began dreaming about what I could start building there next. I knew that God, and only God, was capable of turning ashes into something beautiful, but I had no doubt he could do it.
I have no idea how long I spent cleaning up those ashes. When I finally finished, a prayer of thanksgiving filled my heart. I was finally ready to start re-building. And this time, Christ would be the foundation.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2006 Sarah K Lewry |
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
May 2006 |
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
1643
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