Never Be the Same Pt. 2

I ran out of time to finish the story before the day passed.  I just wanted to include a little bit of what happened afterwards.

The man moved his arm again to make sure it could still move, that it was really there.  Yes, it was.  He couldn't believe it!  He couldn't describe the feeling he had.  He felt Jesus' love and forgiveness.  He had a sense of peace that seemed like it would last for an eternity.  He was too excited to work anymore, so he went home, praising God and praying to him all the way.

During that time, the man got to thinking about his life.  He had never really thought about forgiving himself.  By not doing that, he had become a bitter man.  He didn't mean to, but he knew he hadn't been kind.  He resolved that he would always be more kind, compassionate, and forgiving, just as Jesus had shown him.  The man knew that this was not enough.  He wanted to follow Jesus.

It took him a few days to sell what he had, just as he heard he was supposed to when preparing to follow the Master.  After that was done, he headed back to the town where Jesus had been.  He found out He had moved on, so the man pursued Him.  Before he could catch up, he found out Jesus had died, on the cross.  The man was grieved, but he did not let that stop him from believing in the man and wanting to do something.

He had met a few followers of Jesus during his journey, and he lived with them.  They taught him more about Jesus' teachings and how to be a follower.  Through their discussions, he found out how he could dedicate his life to God.  He founded a shelter for injured and sick men and women.  He fed them, taught them a useful trade that they could do to make a little money for themselves, and helped them to heal spiritually.  There had been this one beggar he helped soon after the shelter had opened.  He was old and had a limp.  The man had helped him strengthen the leg a bit and talked to him for hours to help the old man cope with his grief.

When their conversation had ended, the old man, tears in his eyes, gave the man a big hug.  There was something warm and oddly familiar about it.  Then the beggar whispered in his ear, "Well done, servant of God."

The next day, the beggar was gone.

This song came to mind when I thought about the prompt.  I bet that's how a lot of people felt after experiencing a miracle from Jesus.