Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: GAMBLE (04/14/16)
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TITLE: Miracle | Previous Challenge Entry
By Gary Ritter
04/18/16 -
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Right. What kind of scam were these people running? I’d been to doctors and faith healers. I’d had every test known to man and exhausted my resources trying to get well. Now. Nobody had answers, and those that did, didn’t.
“It a chronic illness. There’s nothing we can do for you. You’ll have to learn to live with it.”
“In the Name of Jesus, I declare you healed! Satan, you have no hold over this man, neither you nor your demons. You are loosed from this affliction in the Name of God-dah.”
It didn’t matter whether physicians pronounced me incurable or anointed evangelists proclaimed healing that didn’t happen, I was stuck. And, yeah, I was tired of being sick. The pain, discomfort, and drug side affects had weighed me down for almost twenty years. Every month I went for treatments that kept me alive, functioning, and nauseous for three days following.
As a Christian I believed that God would heal. When He got good and ready. To tell you the truth, it was disheartening. I’d heard the sermons. God wanted to save and heal us. He was Jehovah Rapha, God the Healer. So why didn’t He? One day all would be perfect once again. When was that? I was here and now in this life. I didn’t want to wait. IMMEDIATE! FREE! I made the call.
The man with greasy black hair at the storefront office wasn’t impressive. I didn’t like that his brown eyes had no depth. The testimonies plastered on the walls could have all been fake. I should have walked out, but I’d exhausted all other alternatives.
“It’s quite simple. You sign this document. I touch your forehead and speak over you. You’re healed.”
“Just like that? For free?”
“There is some fine print.”
It was one page. Straightforward. Until… “Oh. So, it’s not really free.”
He shrugged. “The treatment costs you nothing.”
“Depends on your perspective.”
“How desperate are to be well?”
“The stakes are so high. Extreme.”
“Ever been a gambler? Wait, don’t tell me! Yes, you were. So what’s the problem?”
“I was delivered from that. It’s why I’m a Christian today. It’s part of my testimony.”
“Take it or leave it.” He turned away in dismissal.
My gut was screaming, “Run!”
No more sickness. No more monthly treatments. “Okay, I’ll take it.”
He smiled through yellow teeth. “You’ve made a fine bet.”
Good to his word, I didn’t pay a dime. There was the other, but…well, I’d have to deal with it.
On the sidewalk outside his office I realized the persistent pain was gone. I touched my stomach. No more tenderness. Taking a deep breath of the springtime air I felt dizzy feeling so good. I was healed! On the way to my car I jumped a foot in the air and clicked my heels in joy.
The next day I demanded the doctor run a battery of tests. When the results came back, he was dumbfounded. “Nothing. There’s no indication whatsoever of your illness. It’s a miracle.”
That Sunday I was going to tell people at church the good news. Entering the parking lot, I sensed something strange. As I reached the door, the handle gave me a shock. I pulled back. Tried again. Same thing.
Mrs. McCarthy came along, and I tried to follow her inside. It felt like I’d touched a downed electric line. I couldn’t cross the threshold.
Pastor Andy arrived and offered a handshake. I almost threw up.
“I forgot something at home, Pastor. See you later.” I sprinted toward my car.
Only after I’d made it away from the church did I begin feeling myself again. In fact, I felt great. But I also realized this might be a problem.
Or not. I could embrace it. Go with the flow.
“You’re well now. Why not enjoy life?” That voice in my head made a lot of sense. For twenty years I’d toiled and suffered. But I didn’t have to any longer. Indeed, the pleasures of the world had suddenly become mine.
The strip club was my first stop. I hadn’t done anything like that since college. The voice reminded me that limits were a thing of the past. I could do anything. Who would stop me? As promised, the girl from the club met me afterward.
I can repent of all this before I die. Right? The legion inside me chattered in delight.
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Well done.
Blessings~
Blessings~
I'm puzzled about the theological implications, though...