A Prosperous Son | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: A Prosperous Son | Previous Challenge Entry
By Anna Gane
05/15/06
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He was just a beggar, not by choice, but by unfortunate circumstances. He was homeless. His only home was the hard patch of ground where he had been laid, perhaps by some kind servant who, unable to care for the beggar himself, had had pity on him and hoped he would find compassion at the rich man’s gate. So here he lay, beneath the high, splendid gate with its towering arch which stood at the foot of the prosperous man's lane. From where he lay he could see the mansion which stood at the end of the stony pathway. He had no family and no friends. He had no one to care for him and no one to love him. He was lonely. His only companions were the kind dogs of the rich man who came and licked his sores. He had no job and no hope of ever securing one for he was sick and weak and unable to work. He was constantly in pain from the sores that covered his frail body. Every tedious hour was passed in agony. In the summer, the sun's rays beat unmercifully upon his sweaty brow for there was precious little shade. When the cold of winter came, the freezing rains were torture to his shivering body for his clothes offered no protection from the elements -- they were riddled with holes and frayed at the seams. He was hungry. The only food he got were the few scraps of garbage he managed to beg from the servants before they tossed the crumbs to the rich man's hounds. He only had these: a strong faith in his Creator, a trusting heart toward his heavenly Father, and a spirit that was right with God. Finally, one lonesome night when it was exceptionally bleak and cold, he fell into a numb sleep from which he never awoke. Then, what bliss! The shining angels came and carried his soul to the bosom of Abraham, in the presence of the Lord whom he had served during his short life. Here he had a beautiful new mansion beside a gently flowing stream with wildflowers of every hue nestled on the bank. He had food – the finest fruits and vegetables of every sort. He had family; his Heavenly Father and his elder brother, Jesus Christ, and he once more saw the loved ones who had gone on before him. He had friends, for many were the saints who had come to this bountiful land before him. He had a strong, healthy body and the painful sores were no more. Living in this bountiful land, Lazarus understood true prosperity. It was not gaining earthly riches like the rich man had, but gaining eternal riches by being a faithful son of the Heavenly Father who had created him and loved him.

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