Teens

Evelyn Finds the Arms of Jesus

by Anne O'Donnell
10/11/20
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Evelyn dug into her mother’s money jar without one trace of guilt hoping to get her hands on some cash for a night out with Charlie and the guys. The dance down at the River Hall promised to have the excitement she dreamt about – no adults, booze, endless dancing, and above all, a chance to wear the red dress and black floral mesh tights she stole from Calley’s Department Store. Yes, this is how to live young, she smiled to herself, no rules, freedom, and all the fun one could ask for.

Jittery with anticipation, she found a twenty dollar bill and tucked it inside her shirt and scurried upstairs. Charlie should be texting any minute now to make secret arrangements for getting her out of the house. Without a care in the world, and eager for seven o’clock to finally get here, she stuffed her belongings in a grocery bag and threw it out the window, hoping not to smash the magenta impatiens below.

The ring tone on her phone interrupted her thoughts, causing her heart to beat faster. Maribeth can wait. I don’t have time right now. The phone rang again. Hoping to ward off her sister, she hit the mute button and stared out the window, waiting for Charlie’s blue Toyota to swerve around the corner and stop in the parking lot of the Marathon gas station five houses down. Hurry up!

Suddenly, Evelyn felt uncomfortable. Hurting her mother like this would place another wound in their already fragile relationship. Yeah, they argued a lot, but this would pass, and soon enough she’d make another promise to behave like a young lady instead of a tramp. Why do parents insist we act so perfect when they have their secrets from growing up?

Something happened to her mom three years ago, and Evelyn still wasn’t sure exactly what it was, she just knew her mother laid down an entirely new set of rules, and seemed to be striving for different goals in her personal life. Oh well, I guess that’s what you do when you’re a parent, but I’m seventeen, and tonight is mine!

Charlie swung open the side door as Evelyn pushed her way inside the car with such speed, alerting Charlie that he better step on the gas and get out of there now! Catching her breath and trying to ignore the guilt sinking deeper into her mind, she threw her arms around Charlie to reinforce how excited she was for the evening to get underway. Charlie bit his lip and stared as if to silently question if this plan was just setting them up for trouble. Evelyn knew that look and without a second’s hesitation spoke out, “Don’t even think about it!”

After an evening of drinking, swearing, smoking, dancing, lying, kissing, and stealing, Evelyn hung her head wishing all this had made her feel more alive, but instead, she felt cheated her big night out brought on feelings of remorse and shame rather than exhilaration. Why doesn’t freedom feel better? Why am I feeling emptier now than when we planned this? She stepped out behind the hall, opened her purse and picked up her phone. Eighteen messages from Maribeth! Oh No! What is going on?

Hands shaking and hitting speed dial, Evelyn lost her breath waiting for her sister to answer. No answer. She speed dialed her mother. No answer. Frantic and shaking, she ran to Charlie and spilled tears over his shoulder. Within minutes they headed back to the car and raced home, only to find three police cars out front, the paramedics, and the neighbors huddled in fear.

Running across the front lawn, Evelyn heard herself scream at the sight of her mother on the stretcher with a white cloth draped up over face. The cries pierced the night as she collapsed to the ground in grief and sorrow. Grief from the loss of her mother, and sorrow from the loss of her morals and values. Why, oh God, why? Please let me have my mother! Please let me hug her again. I need my friend back. How will I live without her?

From behind, she felt a light touch on her shoulder. Glancing around with tear-stained eyes, she fell into the arms of Maribeth, the sister who had been the anchor to her wandering heart all these years. “Maribeth, what are we going to do?”

Maribeth clutched her sister and whispered in her ear, “We are going to do what we have always done, walk through this valley together, and stay on our knees in prayer until the storm passes. We are not alone Evelyn. There has been someone watching over your life and He longs to walk with you now. This is what mom would have wanted. Nothing would bless her more than to know you are hiding in the loving arms of Jesus.”

A small circle formed around the sisters and a voice was heard in the background, singing an old church hymn from childhood, Safe in the Arms of Jesus. As the other joined in unison, Evelyn felt the anguish rip through her soul, confessing the shallow and selfish life she pursued.

Why did I waste that precious time I had with my mother? How could I have been so foolish to lose sight of the gift she was to me? Oh God, forgive me. Help me. I won’t know how to live better without you. Please, I pray, please rescue me from myself, and give me a new heart. I need one now, God. Change this person inside to someone who knows how to love past myself. And please tell my mom I miss her. Tell her I am sorry. Tell her I know I hurt her, but I was too blinded to see it.

Evelyn stood up, clutching Maribeth as if to never let her go. Together, they would face a new tomorrow. Together they would learn how to embrace each new day the way her mother had prayed for – safe in the arms of Jesus. Evelyn vowed before God to follow in her mothers’ footsteps, leading to a fulfilling life of freedom in Jesus. Her new heart beat with hope, for the first time in her life.

The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145:14