Sarah’s Saint – I

When you are up at 530, go into the kitchen to put the now warm gel pack back in the freezer, grab some water and happen to see out through a slit in the blind. You watch the fog settling in, casting an eerie glow. A stranger walks towards you, but then quickly turns, disappearing. Walking back to bed, the story is already streaming through the synopsis of your brain and you start to get chills. Not long after Sarah’s Saint was born. Below is the start of her journey. There will be more visits, even if she doesn’t know it yet. Where it takes us will be as much a surprise for me as it will for you.

*********

Somewhere out in the universe a radio plays Here Comes the Sun. A young woman happily strolls along the beach, and all I want to do is scream, ‘Watch out, the boogeyman is coming.’

She turns, smiles, and whispers, “He’s already here,” before turning back to her stroll. I shrink back in horror before deciding to race after her. Unsure if it is the smartest thing to do, but knowing I must. At all cost, I must ask the question.

“How do you know?”

Smiling, she turns to look at me, never missing a step. “Just look at the world. Friends and families arguing and fighting with each other. Torn apart by those seeking divisiveness. Countries warring with other for the sake of greed and revenge. I see it all. Innocent lives lost, murdered unnecessarily. Children’s innocence stolen from them through dark acts of abuse. Darkness is swallowing our world.”

I don’t respond right away. She is an oxymoron in my mind. Speaking of horrible things, aware of the presence of evil in the world, but still she walks calmly, smiling all the while.

“It’s not that hard, you know.”

“What’s not hard?”

“Smiling. Being peaceful in unpeaceful times.”

So, she reads minds too. I wonder if she is human at all before erasing that thought from my mind. Too late. The curve of her lips tells me she heard that thought, too. “Doesn’t it make you scared? Mad? A little sad? All this evil in the world. Doesn’t it make you feel helpless?”

“It makes me feel all of those things, but those emotions are fleeting. I discard them as quickly as they appear. I choose light over darkness, love over hate. Mostly, I choose God over the enemy. That’s where true peace lies. He waits, like a beacon of hope in the soul, just wanting you to find Him. When you do, you can cope with even the worst of things.”

“You make it sound easy. How can you let something so horrible that’s happened to you, or someone you love not sadden you? How can you not get angry and want to see justice in the world?”

“I do, on all accounts, but then I remember all the things He has taught me over the years. Messages left in time for all eternity. Want to know what they are?”

I nod. At a loss for words, I remain silent.

“Well, if you’re sure. I’ll try to say it in a way that doesn’t sound like a lecture. That’s hard to do sometimes. I’m passionate about Him. 

1. Don’t judge one another. It’s easy to point fingers and accuse someone of being wrong, blinded, and, yes, even evil. Everyone has sinned at some point in their life. You yourself are not without sin. Leave the judging to God.
2. Love one another as He loved us. He loves everybody, especially those lost to the enemy. He wants them to return to him as much as we want them to stop their evil ways. More than we do. They are His children gone astray. When you love one another there is no room for hatred.
3. Forgive everyone as you would have Him forgive you. When we hold on to our sadness, it turns into anger. It is hard to forgive in a state of anger. When we hold on to that anger, we are sending bursts of darkness out into the world. Unintentionally, we will hurt others and further harm ourselves. Anger will show up in other ways, like depression and sickness. It is a vile tool of the enemy. Forgive the person and stay standing in the light. Forgive yourself if you need to. Allow the forgiveness to flow through you. When you do, it will wash over your heart and cleanse you. It’s like a blaze of light that washes away the darkness. There is always peace to be found in forgiveness. We won’t forget what happened. We may even learn from it, but mostly, we can look back on the action for what it was, without emotion pulling at our heart and soul. That is peace.
4. Treat each other as you would yourself. You wouldn’t want someone to lie to you, or cheat you. Never would you want someone to hurt you with words or fists. Nor would you want them to say unkind things about you, spreading rumours like wildfire spreading through a forest. This one is pretty simple. Don’t do to them what you wouldn’t want done to you. It’s easier to love when you live this one.
5. Be not afraid. Though evil walks among us, so does He. He stands beside each of us, giving us the strength to endure and the hope of a better world to come. Hand your fears to Him. Fear is another one of those tools that the enemy loves to use. Like a hammer, he strikes it into the hearts of many. When we truly give our fear to God, He, in turn, gives us peace.
6. Trust in Him. Above all else, love and trust in Him. Trust God to carry your sorrow, your anger, and your fears. Know that He has created you with a purpose in mind. Use your talents, given by him, to fulfill that purpose. The rest will take care of itself.

I walked alongside her. Afraid to think anything in case she read my mind. There was that upward curve of her lips again. The knowing. So much she had told me. I had so many questions. The biggest one was, “How can you do all this?”

She stopped, turned and hugged me. It was a motherly embrace. I never realized she was taller than me until that moment. Smiling down at me, she said, “How can you not?” and then vanished.

I awoke to a dark room, wondering if it was a dream or a visitation. I could not seem to remember what I was doing before I saw her strolling on the beach.

From a far away place she whispered, “It was both. I’ll come again.”

© Leslie C Dobson

If you liked this faith story you can find others on the Faith Stories link of Leslie’s website.