Short Stories

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IT IS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2008, AND I AM DRIVING DOWN MAIN STREET, IN THE VILLAGE WHERE I LIVE, ON MY WAY TO OUR BANK. THE BRANCH OF THE BANK WHERE I USUALLY GO TO, IS LOCATED WITHIN A GROCERY STORE, BUT THIS DAY, AS I AM DRIVING ALONG, STILL WITHIN THE VILLAGE, I SEE A BRANCH OF THIS BANK AND A VOICE IS TELLING ME, "TO STOP THERE", AND SO I DO...

I NEVER USE THIS BRANCH OF OUR BANK, BUT THIS DAY, AS I APPROACH THE TELLER TO CASH A CHECK, I NOTICE A SIGN UP SHEET WITH A PICTURE OF A YOUNG WOMAN ON IT. SHE HAS CANCER, AND YOU CAN DONATE MONEY, AND ENTER YOURSELF, FOR A MARATHON WALK, THAT WILL BE HELD ON OCTOBER 5TH, 2008...

AS I AM READING ABOUT BOTH HER AND THE WALK, A VOICE SAYS TO ME, "WALK FOR HER, AND GIVE HER SOME MONEY". I DO NOT KNOW THIS YOUNG WOMAN, AND INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS, I MERELY TAKE MY MONEY AND LEAVE...

AS I AM DRIVING BACK TO MY HOME, THE VOICE IS SAYING TO ME REPEATEDLY, "YOU MUST GO BACK, YOU MUST GO BACK", BUT I CONTINUE TO IGNORE WHAT I AM BEING TOLD AND DRIVE HOME. YET, ONCE THERE, THE VOICE HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY INSISTENT, THAT I RETURN TO THIS BANK, SIGN UP FOR THIS MARATHON WALK, AND GIVE HER SOME MONEY...

I SHOULD TELL YOU, THAT I AM STILL RECOVERING FROM BRAIN SURGERY DONE TEN MONTHS EARLIER, AND THAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO WALK, NOT EVEN FURTHER THAN A FEW HOUSES FROM WHERE I LIVE, BEFORE BECOMING OUT OF BREATH, AND GIVING UP...

I CANNOT AT THIS POINT, UNDERSTAND WHY I MUST DO THIS, AND SO, TO APPEASE THE VOICE, I CALL THE BANK, TELL THEM WHO I AM, THAT I WAS JUST THERE, READ THE STORY ABOUT THIS YOUNG WOMAN, AND I HAVE A WIG I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO HER. A WOMAN FROM THE BANK SPEAKS TO ME ON THE PHONE, TELLS ME THAT FRIENDS HAVE BOUGHT A WIG FOR HER, BUT THANKS ME FOR MY OFFER...

WHEN I HANG THE PHONE UP, THE VOICE IS STILL INSISTING THAT I RETURN TO THE BANK, AND SO I DO. I ASK TO SPEAK WITH THE WOMAN THAT TALKED TO ME ON THE PHONE, SIGN UP FOR THE MARATHON WALK, GIVE HER SOME MONEY, THEN LEAVE FOR HOME...

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, I MAKE THE DECISION, THAT IF I AM GOING TO "WALK FOR HER" , I MUST START WALKING TO GET INTO SHAPE. I HAVE SET A "GOAL" IN MY MIND, TO WALK EACH DAY, 1.5 MILES WITHIN THIRTY MINUTES, AND BEGIN RIGHT AWAY. AS I AM WALKING, I AM REALLY PUSHING MYSELF BEYOND ANY LIMITS OF ENDURANCE I HAVE EVER HAD TO MEET, BUT I AM ALSO FINDING, A SENSE OF STRENGTH AND JOY IN THE KNOWLEDGE, THAT I AM ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHING WHAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO BEFORE. AMAZING...

THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 5TH, 2008 ARRIVES, IT IS 12:30AM, AND I AM AWAKE, HAVING ONLY SLEPT THREE HOURS. THOUGH I TRY TO GO BACK TO SLEEP, BY 4:30AM, I NOW KNOW I MUST GET UP, AND GET READY FOR THIS "MARATHON WALK". BUT, AS I SIT ON THE EDGE OF MY BED, I CAN FEEL HOW UTTERLY TIRED I AM, AND IN MY HEART, I BEGIN TO DOUBT MY ABILITY TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE. AS I SIT THERE FEELING ALREADY DEFEATED, I BEGIN TALKING TO THE LORD, AND TELLING HIM, THAT I DON'T THINK THAT I CAN DO THIS WALK, BUT BECAUSE HE HAS TOLD ME I MUST, THAT I AM GOING TO NEED HIS HELP, EVEN A "MIRACLE" TO GET ME THROUGH...

ONCE MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE DRIVEN DOWNTOWN, TO WHERE THE "MARATHON WALK" IS TO BE HELD, I GO AND SIGN UP, THEN WE WAIT FOR EVERYONE WHO IS GOING TO BE IN THIS WALK TO ARRIVE...

AS THE STARTUP TIME APPROACHES, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED TO BE IN THIS WALK, AND I MAKE MY WAY TO THE RIBBON THAT DESIGNATES THE STARTING POINT OF THE WALK. I HAVE MADE UP MY MIND, THAT I WANT TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE FIRST, AND AFTER A SHORT SPEECH, BY THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS WALK, THE RIBBON IS CUT AND I START WALKING...

BUT, AS I AM WALKING, I CAN FEEL HOW TIRED I AM, AND I BEGIN PRAYING TO THE LORD. I TELL HIM, I DON'T REALLY THINK I CAN DO THIS, THAT I AM TORN BETWEEN JUST TURNING AROUND AND GOING BACK HOME, OR GOING ON. I TELL HIM, THAT I FEEL SO WEAK AND TIRED THAT HE MAY JUST HAVE TO "PICK ME UP AND CARRY ME" THROUGH THIS WALK, BECAUSE I JUST DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO IT...

BUT I CONTINUE ON, AND NOTICE THAT I AM SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS. SINCE I AM BY MYSELF, I REMEMBER THINKING, "GEE, I WISH I HAD SOMEONE TO WALK WITH", AND WITHIN FIVE MINUTES OF THAT THOUGHT, A WOMAN IS NOW WALKING RIGHT BY MY SIDE, HAVING LEFT HER FAMILY AT THE END OF THE WALK...

WE BEGIN TALKING WITH EACH OTHER, AND SHE IS REALLY PUSHING THE LIMITS OF ENDURANCE, AND SO I, IN ORDER TO KEEP UP WITH HER, MUST DO THE SAME. AND AS I AM WALKING, I AM FINDING THAT THE HARDER I PUSH MYSELF, THE FEELING OF BEING TIRED AND DEFEATED HAS LEFT ME...

WITHIN FORTY MINUTES, SHE AND I APPROACH THE FINISH LINE, WITH NOT EVEN TWENTY PEOPLE AHEAD OF US. WE HAD WALKED 3 MILES IN FORTY MINUTES, A FEAT THAT I NEVER IN MY LIFE COULD HAVE IMAGINED ACCOMPLISHING. THIS WALK WAS SPONSORED BY "THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY"...

IT IS A MOMENT IN MY LIFE, THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET. WHEN THE ODDS SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE, IT WAS DONE SO, BECAUSE OUR LORD WAS WITH ME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, AND GAVE ME THE STRENGTH AND CAPABILITY TO MEET THE DEMANDS, AND EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT CROSS THE FINISH LINE FIRST, I CAME VERY CLOSE. IT WAS FOR ME, A MOMENT OF TRIUMPH AND VICTORY...

"WIN ME-WIN ALL"
"RISE TO GREATER HEIGHTS THAN YOU HAVE KNOWN BEFORE. REMEMBER WHERE I AM IS VICTORY"...
(FROM THE DEVOTIONAL BOOK, "GOD CALLING", EDITED BY A.J. RUSSELL)

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