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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: COURT (02/24/22)
I’ve Been Summonsed


The knocking was faint at first but each time it seem to be getting louder. When I asked my wife and kids if they heard it they looked at me like I was nuts.
I shrugged and said “I guess it’s the old water pipes rattling in the walls”, we all laughed.

Later that night when I went to bed, every time I dosed off I would get awaken by the knocking. I was more tired when I got up then when I went to bed. After breakfast, I decided to try and catch a few zzz’s.

I hadn’t been in bed long when I heard a loud knock, I got up and went to the door. Standing there was a pleasant looking gentleman with an envelope in his hand. “Good morning, how can I help you?” I asked. He replied, “ I’ve been ask to deliver this summons.” I took the envelope and thanked the man as he turned an walked off.

I was curious as I opened the envelope. It said I was to be in court the next morning at 9:00, there was no explanation why I needed to be there, just that I must be on time.

I got up the next morning feeling very anxious, I told my family over breakfast about the summons, none of them seem surprised—It was almost as if they already knew.

As I arrived at the court house I was shocked to see lots of friends and family. This had to be some kind of party or prank they were playing on me. I started to relax a little, until we entered the court room, there I saw the judge entering from the back of the room, asking everyone to “please be seated.”

To my surprise they called my son to the witness stand first. “We want only the truth from you “said the judge, my son said “yes sir I understand .” The judge looked directly at my son, then at me. He turned back to my son and ask “ You have a habit of lying to make things go your way, where did you learn such behavior? ” My son replied “it is what I have seen my Dad do my whole life so I figured if it worked for him it would work for me.”

I was so shocked , you could have knocked me over with a feather. What was going on. I stood to say something but the judge called his next witness, my wife. “ You seem to have lost your purpose and your joy, why” he asked . “I have watched the man I married walk away from God and into the hands of the devil.”

I sat their in unbelief as I heard testimony after testimony from family and friends. All of them saying how I lived my life was not the same as what I was teaching from the pulpit . I again tried to speak, the judge held his hand up silencing me.

I was then asked to stand and face the judge. You were called to be a pastor, to be a living example of Gods love, but the life you are living in front of your family, friends and congregation is one of, selfishness, pride, greed and the attitude of [ Do as I say not as I do.]

I started to cry uncontrollably, it was true, every bit of it. I had lost my vision to help people and show them the love of God. This had been my hearts desire since I was a young man—how had I gotten so far away from that young man’s
dream, to becoming this arrogant man standing here today.

At that point I realized the Judge was my Heavenly Father.
I fell to me knees “Oh God all this time you were knocking at my heart trying to show me how far away from you I was getting, please forgive me, help me Father!

God then spoke to me clearly “ my son I am giving you a chance to turn things around, you need to be strong and walk away from all the things the devil has successfully tempted you with.” I kneeled there sobbing and repenting for what seemed like hours.

All of a sudden I woke up clenching my tear drenched pillow, realizing I had been dreaming. God had given me a wonderful gift— a look at my life and a chance to turn back to Him .
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This article has been read 354 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Judy Sauer 
03/05/22
Such a special and meaningful dream. I appreciate your sharing this imagery.

Something I was challenged with when starting out was to rephrase sentences so they did not all start with I.

For example:
You wrote: I got up the next morning feeling very anxious…

This could have been easily be rewritten by swapping the words.

The next morning, when I woke up, I felt very anxious.

Good luck as you master this new skill. Many of us have learned how to simply swap some words to allows our sentences to begin with words other than I. Good story.
Philippa Geaney
03/05/22
What a fresh idea. I enjoyed it fully.
I hope this entry does well.
Looking foreard to many more 'out of the box' takes on our Challenge topics.