Love
By Staci
There was once a sad and lonely girl. She always argued with her parents and things never seemed to go her way. She didn’t have any close friends, and she wasn’t getting very good grades in school, either. Then one day, she met her friend. Now this friend was always there for her and always offered her good, sound advice. She’d come to school complaining about a fight with her parents and her friend would listen quietly to her venting, then softly he would ask where she thought her parents were coming from.
Maybe they saw something she didn’t see. Slowly she saw, and began to have a better relationship with her parents. Often she would come to him crying and complaining about a teacher who had yelled at her. He would slowly move his head back and forth, smile and say, “You realize that teachers are people too, don’t you? Maybe they were just having a bad day; everyone does. Why don’t you give in, and try to make life easier for them?” The girl would settle down and try to take her dearest friend’s advice.
I am that girl. My friend’s name is Joshua. Josh always seems so happy. Everything he says makes so much sense, and seems to have a deeper, hidden meaning. What I don’t understand, though, is that when I look into his eyes, there appears to be wisdom and sadness beyond his apparent years. Don’t get me wrong. Josh loves to laugh. He’s very caring and understanding. He always looks on the bright side of everything. Josh is perfect. Which leads us to today.
Today is a normal day. My parents and I have been getting along well together lately. We even decided to do something all together for once. We’ll hopefully go out to eat at some nice restaurant. I’ve always wanted to do that. I’ve always wanted to be that family that walks into a restaurant together and talks and laughs the whole time, then leaves happy…No raised voices…No disagreements…only…happy. I had to tell Josh. I knew he’d be excited for me. I got out of my car and shut the door. I walked into the entryway of school, opened the door, and headed in.
Everything was dark. I felt scared and alone. Where was Josh? But more importantly, where was I? I wasn’t in school. Slowly things began to take shape in the emptiness around me. A trickle of sunlight slowly inched its way down from a small window to my right. It moved like fingers, coming towards a forbidden object. The darkness slowly unveiled a desk and a chair. Pews formed out of nothing before my eyes. The sunlight slowly crawled to its destination, lightly falling on a man at the other end of the room. Once it touched him, the light was enveloped into his form, then suddenly flew forth from his figure, illuminating every corner of the room. I was in a courtroom, a courtroom with a judge, who happened to be the Judge of all.
I felt myself being drawn to this beautiful creature. White was he, and he shown as bright as the stars he created. Mountains stretched forth from his hands; grassy green hills rolled all around him. Yet we were here, still in the courtroom, just him and I and his breath-taking majesty. I was drawn to his presence, but something stopped me when I arrived before his seat. I lifted my eyes to his gaze and in the endless pools of oceans I saw a familiar sadness and wisdom beyond our days. I moved back, astonished. It was as if I was looking at Josh! Suddenly, he spoke. Fire came hurtling down from the heavens and the ground quaked at his voice. A great flood resounded around me and a majestic voice filled the quiet room.
“I am the LORD. See the mountains that formed at my command. The earth is bursting with my energy. See the planets I hold in my hand.” He slowly revealed his outstretched hand to me. Solar systems and stars revolved in his grasp. He fully extended his fingers and the contents of his hand flowed forth and lighted on every object of the room. Again he spoke, “See what I have created for you. See the making of the stars and the ruins of the deep. All this was made for you. Yet what have you done?” The oceans in his eyes swelled and angry storms began to rage. “I labored for 6 days creating a perfect world for you to abide in, and all you did was wreck it. You spit in my face and destroyed my gift to you!” He sadly let the rest of his breath out in a whirlwind of sound. Slowly he raised his eyes and held my quivering gaze. “Long have you continually hurt me, but no more. You’ve had many chances to repent and believe, yet you will not. Your time of grace is over.”
My eyes filled with tears and my heart raced. I found it hard to breathe. “Please,” I begged, falling to my knees, “just one more day! My parents will worry and I…I…” I realized I had no true excuse. I had all my life to repent and believe, and I had chosen not to. I lowered my sorrow-filled eyes.
“Your sentence is eternal torment in hell,” he breathed, “away from my love and gracious light.”
“Lord, NO!” I screamed over and over again. Something was dragging me away from this wondrous being. “Please, please! I’ll do anything!” Farther and farther away from his light I went. Then the door opened. The force that was separating my judge and me lessened in power. I slowly turned to face my savior. It was Josh. “What are you doing here!” I yelled, tears steaming down my face. He slowly pulled his gaze from me to the Blessed One.
“I’m saving you.” he breathed lovingly.
“No! You can’t!” I looked at our Judge. “Please,” I begged again, “this is my fault not his. He did nothing to deserve this death! You can’t let him take my place, please! You can’t!” Josh drew nearer to the Light. The Earth was silent and all movement ceased. The storms in the Mighty One’s eyes were calmed and all creation held it’s breath for his answer.
After what seemed to be an eternity of silence, he replied. “You request to fill her spot? To serve her sentence? You’ve done nothing to deserve what she has in store for her. You did not steal or cheat on tests! You did not argue with your parents and curse my name! You did not hide your heart from my love like she did! Why would you willingly suffer her torment?”
“Because I love her, Father. I love her! Willingly all this I suffer so she could be with you, forever in paradise, away from all the troubles of this present evil age. My life for hers is my plea!” He turned to me, tears flowing freely down his face. I drew towards him and the searching sunlight dove deep into his eyes and brought forth love. He reached out his arms and drew me close. I felt an overwhelming sense of love. Love, security, sorrow and a ray of glittering hope. It’s where I always wanted to be, but he slowly withdrew his arms and the Judge said, “My Son…my Son…so shall you be granted your desire.”
“No! NO!” Nothing I tried mattered, the force held me to behold my Savior, stepping backward, holding me with his sad eyes.
“Please,” he quietly cried, “don’t let my death be in vain! As I die for you…please… live for me.” And with those words he willingly moved though the door. I turned to see our Judge, turning his head away in sorrow. He raised his tearful eyes to me and gently whispered, “Go!” I painfully withdrew and forced myself through the open door.
I was out of the courtroom and into my school. I slowly made my way to my classes, sadly gazing into Josh’s empty seat, sorrow weighing terribly on my heart. My last vision of him flashed clearly into my mind: sunlight streaming down his tear-stained face, lowering his loving eyes to guide his feet on to eternal death with outstretched arms. It was more than I could bear. I got up, left the room, went outside and drove home. I walked straight into my room and locked the door. There I cried endless floods of tears.
Agony terrorized my body. “How could he!” I whispered, “Why would he?” For three days those questions pounded in my head. “Lord!” I cried, “Please love him! Let him be spared!” There was a knock at my door. “No visitors! I wish to be left alone.” The knock started again. “Go away!” I yelled. I threw my face into my pillow and let another soul-shaking sob escape my body. Moments later a gentle touch reached my shoulders and I lifted my head to face my intruder.
I was staring into deep, calm pools of oceans, full of understanding and love. Starlight radiated from this beautiful, familiar man. It was my Joshua. I shrank back in fear and terror, and hurt immediately filled his eyes. “My child,” he whispered, as he gently wiped the tears away from my eyes, “it is I! Never again will I leave you! Never again will you suffer as I have! All the world I give to you…if you only take my hand!”
He freely offered an outstretched hand. In the wrist was a small hole, big enough for a nail to pass though. As I watched, from the nail wound came forth planets and stars, mountains and rivers. They filtrated throughout the Earth, but the stars and planets came back to their orbits in the palm of his hand. I raised my wondering eyes to His.
“I am your Shepherd. The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Surely if I can hold all this in my hand, wouldn’t there be enough room for you, too, in my arms?” he cried.
Slowly something raised my hand and he grasped it with his. I knew that he would never let me go, and I felt safe. In my heart I promised to love him forever, and to live my life for him who died for me.