Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Shhh. (02/18/10)
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TITLE: Shhh, Go Ahead and Trust Me | Previous Challenge Entry
By Pete Charpentier
02/24/10 -
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I was overwhelmed by the sense of death as it hung in the air when I entered the room. The muffled noises of footsteps and sobs faded, and the silence was almost deafening. I just stood and scanned the remnants of Tabitha’s life – colorful robes decorated the walls and small table in the corner of the room. I tried to imagine her life, serving so many people.
But now she was gone. I held still as I gazed at her lifeless body. Yet, something stirred inside of me. Surely God couldn’t be finished with Tabitha, could He?
Then the Holy Spirit fired my memory. My thoughts drifted back to the Master. I think of Jesus all the time and miss Him so much. I knew what He would do in this situation. I mean, I remember how I once stood in another room with Him, two other disciples, and a deeply troubled mother and father standing at the side of their little girl’s corpse. I remember my blank stare, watching this father holding his wife and her face buried in her hands as she wept. The thought of her daughter slipping from her grasp forever was just too much to take.
Then Jesus slowly knelt, glanced in my direction, grinned subtly, took the dead girl’s hand into His own, and spoke in His native Aramaic, “Talitha cumi” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” My eyes widened in amazement when I saw the little girl’s eyelids crack open and her fingers slightly twitch in Jesus’ hand. Signs of life appeared. Then she stood and stepped towards her father. His mouth dropped open. He stood frozen and speechless. Slowly his wife raised her head and peered through her red, tear-stained eyes. She couldn’t contain her praise as she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her baby girl. She cradled her daughter’s head against her shoulder like a newborn infant and rocked back and forth shouting, “Thank You, God! Praise to the Lord!”
Jesus rose to His feet and backed away to give space for this emotional reunion. I swallowed hard and looked at Him to find that He was already staring at me. Our eyes locked, and His subtle grin was steady. After a moment, the He walked towards the parents and surprised all of us when He whispered, “Shhh, don’t tell anyone about this.” He gently brushed the back of His strong hand against the little girl’s cheek and said, “Let’s get her something to eat.”
Suddenly the silence jolted me back into the present. The cold, hard reality of death was once again staring at me with its steely eyes. I was feeling so alone until I heard a familiar sound. It wasn’t an audible voice. It was louder. I turned and thought I saw the Master – looking at me with a familiar grin. He nodded towards Tabitha’s body, and His eyes told me everything. I knew those eyes and that grin. It was as though He was saying, “Peter, you’ve been here before. Remember the little girl? You saw what I did and know what I said, don’t you?” I swallowed my fear. My heart pounded in my chest. A million thoughts scrambled through my mind. But as I focused my gaze, I knelt beside Tabitha’s body, took her hand into mine, and Jesus whispered, “Shhh, go ahead and trust Me.”
In that moment, I remembered what the Master spoke to the little girl - “Talitha cumi.” So I narrowed my eyes and changed just one letter of what He said as I spoke in my native Aramaic, “Tabitha cumi.” My faith instantly clashed with my doubt and won the battle. I saw Tabitha’s eyelids crack open and felt her fingers twitch in my hand. Signs of life appeared. I helped her to stand and called in the other Believers. Everyone embraced her as shouts of joy flooded the room.
Then I glanced back over my shoulder and saw the Master’s grinning face fade.
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