Short Stories
The Man
I didn’t want to go…but she made me. Plus, she wore that dress I liked, and to see her in it, even if it meant enduring a snooze fest at a church, would be worth it. As I sat there, I noticed everyone was smiling…it made me feel uneasy. But they did seem nice…maybe too nice.
We were there early, which I didn’t like at all. Then it meant I would have to sit there even longer than I had planned. Oh well. I guess 10 minutes wasn’t going to kill me; at least we were in the back…out of sight out of mind. And then she came in. Well, it wasn’t a she, it was actually a he, dressed like a she. He walked in clad in a purple dress, dangling a purse from his arm. Everything, from his wig, as long and as blonde as it was, to his high stiletto heels, could not hide the fact that he was a guy. He stood there, looking very scared. “Surely”, I thought, “ He will be shunned and looked at funny by these religious snobs. I mean, I can’t even stand looking at him. It’s truly disgusting..how dare he show his face in, all places, a church? “ I was waiting for the so called, “loving” patrons, to show him the door. Then I would have an excuse never to come there again.
An older woman in the front turned around and saw “her”. I braced for impact, waiting to watch the fireworks. Instead, she got up, and shook the man’s hand, and welcomed him to the church. She then stood there, actually talking with him. Then a man came in, behind them. I leaned their way, waiting to see stones to start flying. The man then came up to him, and shook his hand as well. And then he talked with him as well. Dumbfounded, I sat in silence, watching those people show kindness I’ve never seen shown towards such an outcast in society. Then I thought, “Well maybe this church is not so bad afterall”. As people swarmed in, the majority of them, shook the man’s hand, and treated him like one of their own. And I was puzzled beyond belief, as a result.
About 50 minutes later, I realized that the music wasn’t so bad, and neither was the sermon. And every person I shook hands with, during the introduction thing, seemed to be sincere and kind. As we walked through to the front, I saw….him. He was talking with, of all people, the pastor! And the pastor was talking with him with his hand on his shoulder! And they were laughing! The pastor’s face had a huge, warm smile, as he talked with this man. As I walked to our car, that sight stayed in my mind.
After lunch out, when we got home, I told my wife I needed some “me” time. The truth was, I could not stop thinking about the man, the people, and the pastor. It was driving me crazy. As I drove out into the country, staring at the farmhouses and fields, I thought, “How on earth can these people be so loving? And why? Couldn’t they see the bright red lips? Hear the deep voice? See the tight dress …..? “ And then I heard a voice..not sure if it was my own, or not. It said, “ If they knew your past and some of the things you have done, would they love you too?” With that, I stopped the car. I could no longer drive. I sat there, thinking about the many girls, parties, drugs…the list went on and on. “But I don’t do those things anymore.. I thought,That’s the past. I’m a good person now. “ Then the voice came back. “What about your computer time? Are you a good man then?” I then got very sad. It was true. I was no better than that man in the dress. The difference was, his struggles shown on the outside. In fact, in truth, the man in the dress may be better than me. I could never see myself going to church alone..and trusting the people there. I then thought again about the people. How kind they were and accepting. They treated that man as if he were in a suit, instead of a silk purple dress. It was like they were blind to the fact that he looked silly. And what did they have in common? They went to church. But this church was different, unlike any other church I’ve ever been in..not that I’ve been in many, just mainly at Christmas and Eastertime. No, these people had more than that church. Then I remembered the thing the Pastor had spoken that morning, that “we were all one in Christ Jesus”. I remember thinking, “Not me.” But, what if they were? What if that was “the thing” that made them that way?
I put my head back on the seat, exhausted from thinking so hard. “What am I doing?” I asked myself. “I gotta get ahold of myself.” I sat up, ready to start the car and go back home. It was then that I saw it. There, on the seat next to me, was my wife’s Bible. I swear I had saw her grab it on the way out. I grabbed it, trying to find something about Jesus. I then found a page where Jesus was talking with a woman getting water. I couldn’t believe it. This woman was apparently an outcast to Jesus’s people, but there he was, talking to her like he knew her for years. I then saw that He told her that He could give her “living water”. Closing the Bible, I wondered, “Living water, what on earth…?” But there it was. The answer to why those people showed loved toward the man in the dress, it was because they were following Him. And if Jesus can love someone who everyone else hated…well surely, he could love a man like me…
“A man like me?” I said aloud. “Yes a man like you.” The voice said. “A man who lives a secret life online everytime his wife goes to bed ..a man who gets angry when his daughter accidently spills her milk… a man who makes fun of others because of the way they look and sound…a man who lies in order not to get caught. A man like you. A man who needs Me.” With that, I began to cry…and then I got angry. “God!” I shouted, “I’m sorry…I’m sorry I’m like that..please help me change. Let me be like those people in the church who showed love…let me…be…like… Jesus…..” By then I was a wreck….and then, not even knowing why, I yelled, “Jesus, save me!”
I then felt a peace and a feeling I couldn’t explain. Suddenly, everything made sense. I was no longer feeling confused, but enlightened, and happy, as if I were a child playing with a new toy for the first time…..I quietly drove home as if in a trance. It was when I pulled into our driveway, that I realized that I had a huge smile on my face. I knew something had just happened, and that things would never be the same….
“Honey!” I yelled as I went in the house, holding her Bible, “We need to talk……..”
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