Short Stories
She was the most beautiful girl I ever saw. Her hair was as red as a dewy rose on a spring morning and her name was Faith.
I met Faith in Mr. Pattons fifth grade class when her family moved to the school district I lived in. From fifth through eight grades, we had several classes together.
When we got into high school, things changed. We never had any classes together and the only time I was able to speak to her was in the halls, in between classes, and then it was only to say a quick hi. I do remember however, of her coming out for spring football in our sophomore year. I can still remember her knocking down one of the freshman that was holding one of the blocking bags. Boy, did it take him a long time to live down that one.
Maybe it was admiration for seeing her trying out for a male sport or perhaps it was something else, like testosterone, or it might even be conceivable that it was a combination of both, I really dont know. All I knew was that I was smitten with her. All this being what it was, I had to get to know her better and the only way to do that was to ask her out on a date.
Being sixteen and full of courage in the form of sweating hands and trembling speech, I approached her one day in between classes and asked -
You wouldnt want to go out with me?
That took all of the courage that this somewhat shy sixteen year old could muster and I blew that in a matter of five seconds with lousy syntax!
What?
Great, now shes asking me to repeat the question again! I dont know if I have the courage to do so, but here it goes
Would you like to go out with me sometime?
Well see.
Well see? What kind of response is Well see.?
Suffice to say, her response wasnt the kiss of death Gee, Jim youre a great guy, but I only like you as a friend And she did have a smile on her face as in "ain't you sweet" when she said it, indicating that there just might be a chance.
About a week later, I caught up with her and asked if she had thought about the question. She had and she said no.
No?
No.
There was no explanation, no friend speech, not even an I cant date till Im just a straight out no.
Something strange happen then. I have been told no before. To be honest, I heard no more often then I heard yes, I guess thats just the way it is sometimes. But with Faith, I was not deflated nor did she crush me with her no. Heck, I wasnt even destroyed when she said it; I was justbewildered. I am thankful that she didnt laugh at me, as if to say Puny boy, you dont have what it takes to come into my presence, WAHAHAHAH or even point an humiliating finger at me and say over a bull horn Jim Fulton, who lives on W. 135th street and is son to Gene and Billie Fulton, and who picks his nose, had just ask me out on a date. It was an honest no. And with this no, I knew I could never ask her out again. We would just have to remain at hi.
I didnt see her too much after that no answer. She went on to graduate ahead of the class and moved away from the area. Last time I heard, she was living in Utah, married, with several children under foot.
You know what I learned from that experience? That sometimes the answer is no.
Thats the lesson no?
In all of my forty-seven years of life, I have found that no isnt always a bad thing. In fact, when you think of it, no can be liberating, especially if you use it as a standard: because then, the gray areas in your life become black and white.
It wasnt until Faith told me no that I was able to move on to other girls and other pursuits in life. However, just between you and me, if she would have said yes, I had no idea of what Id do with her.
Moving on with spiritual matters and the replies we get from God. God doesnt always grants us yes on our prayers. He sometimes says no. Later on, we may see why He didnt permit something to happen such as a puppy dog crush on the most beautiful girl in high school turning into a lifetime of what maybe filled with heartache and jealousy. God tells us no not to be vindictive or mean spirited, He tells us no because we just cant see that far into our futures. So a decision that is made in haste might have a consequence that might destroy us later on in life. And just might drive us away from Him. In essence, we have to trust Him with no.
I truly believe that God sees our lives from a totally different perspective then we can imagine. He can see the plan He has for us come to fruition long before we even knew there was a plan for our lives. That said, I believe also that there are individuals who come into our lives that are meant to be with us for a lifetime; for instance, my wife Judy and my son Jared and all the joy they have brought to me. While there are others who are just there long enough to teach us one thing. Faith was there long enough to say no.
Faith, if you ever read this, thanks for the no
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
A wonderful story and a reminder that we shouldn't always be disappointed if we get 'no' as an answer. God sees the end result which is hidden from us.
This article has been read 1042 times
< Previous
|
Next >
Read more articles by James R Fulton 
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.