The Prompt: You are the last one to leave church, and you hear a loud thump between the aisles. What happens?
I stood motionless for a second, too terrified to move. I thought I was the last person to leave. Was it an animal? Did something fall? I listened carefully to see if I could hear any other noises. It was quiet. Cautiously, I turned around and took one small step towards the noise. My heart pounded loudly, and I tried to steady my breath in order to be as silent as possible. I rounded the corner of the pews and peered down the aisle. There was a book lying in the middle of it. This did not steady my mind. Sure, it was only a book, but how did it get there? It was in the middle of the aisle, not near a bench. I looked around to see if I could see anyone. No one.
I walked closer to the book, feeling like an animal who was walking towards a disguised trap in the woods. One of the church windows that was hanging open creaked in the gentle breeze. I was next to the book now, which turned out to be a Bible, and a very worn one at that. I stooped down, gingerly picked it up, and started flipping to the cover. I thought maybe it was the pastor's, but there was no name or inscription found. I sighed at the dead end. My hand was still holding the spot where the Bible had been lying open to, so I flipped back to the pages. There was a single line highlighted in green, 1 Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
I slumped down in the pew and read the tiny verse over and over again. Peter was telling me to give God my burden, the things that had been weighing my heart down for weeks. They were personal problems that couldn't really share with anyone else. I felt they were sort of my private cross to bear. I tried to be strong, praying to God about them and reading my Bible, but the burden seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. This past week, I had grown miserable from the weight of them. I had hoped today's sermon would help, but nothing the pastor said today had been relative to me.
And now, here, sitting open my lap, was the very thing I had been searching for. God was saying I didn't have to struggle with this alone. I didn't have to try to fix it. I was to give it to him, just a small child would give his father a toy that needed fixing. God would fix it for me because He cared about me. He loved me. I stared at the large wooden cross that was affixed above the pulpit onto the wall in front of me and was reminded of Jesus. Even He couldn't carry His cross alone. Once all this fully sank in, a gush of tears flowed, releasing all the stress and pain I had been holding onto for weeks. I embraced the relief I felt as my body shook from the crying. I prayed aloud that God would release me from my burden and carry it for me.
Once I stopped crying, I sat there with my eyes closed. Even though I had no idea how my problems would be fixed, I was at peace knowing I had left them in capable hands. I could sense God's presence with me in that lonely church, and I wanted dwell near Him as much as I could. Suddenly, I felt something light touch my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked at my shoulder and around me. Nothing was there. It was curious. I still didn't know where the Bible came from later. It didn't matter. I warmly touched the verse, which was a little wet from my tears, before I closed the Bible and placed it next to me on the pew. Someone would claim it. As I rose to go, something caught my eye under the pew in front of me. I bent down to take a closer look. It was a feather. A long, pure white feather.
I like this one!
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