Dédié à ma meilleure amie d'enfance.
Three years ago, my boys started disappearing from the house for hours at a
time. For all practical purposes, it looked like they were playing in the woods
at the back of our property; but when questioned about their location, they
claimed that they had been in a far-away place called "Mossedonia". It seemed
that somehow they were the "king" and "prince" of this magical place, where they
ruled over strange-looking creatures, fought entire wars, hunted food, made
peace, and even had their own castle. Their good friend, a girl down the street,
began spending a lot of time back there, too. Apparently she was the "queen" of
Mossedonia, and our Golden Retriever was the "princess". We were told that
Mossedonia was hundreds and thousands of miles away, and that they had to "warp"
there, using their tire swing. Maybe that's why whenever my wife and I wandered
back to this particular set of woods, all we ever saw were trees and rocks!
My wife told me that this "magical land" had come into being just after they had
read the book, "Bridge to Terabithia", as part of their home school routine; but
it wasn't until I watched the movie version of this same book at our local
theatre last week, that it all made sense. You see, this story has the ability
to sweep you out of your present world. In the case of my boys, it was the
motivator they needed to start up their own magical land. For me, watching the
film swept me back to my youth, back to the days when I and my childhood best
friend used to play together, and tears flooded my eyes as I thought of that
precious girl who had so influenced my early years.
Although she was two years younger than I was, we were brought up as brother and
sister and we were virtually inseparable. Whatever she did, I did. Whatever I
did, she did. We were like twins, and the force of our combined imaginations
fueled us on to far away, unheard of places.
We had no name for our imaginary world, but this didn't stop it from being real
to us. There we were assaulted by the enemy, and we bravely fought off line upon
line of tin soldiers with rubber bands that we propelled from the end of a
ruler. The soldiers often suffered heavy casualties as we fought to the bitter
end, but interestingly, the good side always seemed to win. What a welcome
relief!
I remember working undercover one time to retrieve secret documents from the
enemy. We had to be extremely careful as we slid ourselves around the walls of
my grandmother's garage, trying hard to avoid invisible laser beams (thread)
that would trigger alarm systems.
Our adventures together created a strong bond, and even through high school we
were always there for each other. We never condemned each other; instead, we
constantly lifted each other up to face any hardship that came our way. Together
we were invincible, and we were even determined to die for one another, if it
came to that. We had no idea where our future bridges would lead us. In fact,
these "bridges to the unknown" didn't scare us at all, because we knew we would
face them together!
Then the fatal day came where our bond would be forever broken. She met a guy,
and to my horror, she quickly succumbed to his advances. It wasn't jealousy that
motivated me. Our friendship had always remained innocent, and we cared too much
for each other to let anything like romance come between us. In fact, I would
have been very excited if she had told me she had met the guy of her dreams, if
she had introduced me to her future fiancé. But this man was married, and he
obviously didn't have her best interest at heart.
Although I wasn't a Christian at the time, I knew of God, and I knew that
adultery would lead to a life of sorrows. We spent an entire day together,
discussing this situation. I tried to talk her out of it, to change her mind, to
help her see that it was wrong, that she was headed for sure catastrophe, one
that would forever change her life. I tried to show her the potential dangers of
such a relationship. However, it appeared that his advances had completely
mesmerized her, and she was unable to break free. Then she left to rendez-vous
with this stranger. But she couldn't hide the tears in her eyes as she turned to
go.
Just like the boy, Jess, from Bridge to Terabithia, when he heard that his best
friend had drowned, I collapsed on the floor in tears. I knew then that things
would never be the same between us, a fact that only became more obvious the
next time she came to see me. I could tell that her heart was held captive by
other thoughts, thoughts that would grow with hurricane strength, driving a
wedge ever deeper between us. Although I still cared for her as a brother, our
relationship would never be the same.
The affair didn't last long, but it put a permanent mark on my dear friend.
Often when we would walk along the streets of our hometown, I would see her
becoming very pensive. Then she would point out a good-looking man on the street
and wonder aloud if this one could be the "passion" of her life. Now, years
later, my childhood best friend has spent most of her life looking for the
"right one". She has known many men, and though at the moment each relationship
looked like paradise to her, she has never found any of these relationships to
be fulfilling.
I now live on another continent and I don't get to see my friend very often. She
flew over for a visit a few years ago, and it was evident that the happiness she
has so endlessly searched for continues to cruelly elude her. She had
experienced God a couple of times in her life, and while she was visiting, she
came very close to giving her life to the One who could truly fill her with
love, with real inner peace and purpose. Unfortunately, the snares of her
illusionary life continued to keep her at bay. When she left to fly back home,
she promised to stay in touch and to study the Bible via the Internet; but the
stress and rush of life made her quickly forget these promises.
As her childhood friend, I refuse to give up on her. I try to keep my promise to
her by always being there for her, and I will continue to pray that she will
eventually meet the One whom she can call "Beloved Savior". When she does, her
search for true happiness will come to a happy end.
Why?
Because our God is a God of hope and happiness. The light of His presence is
there, beckoning to fill her, and anyone who hasn't yet found Him, with true
peace and love like none that could possibly be experienced on this earth.
Happiness is at your grasp, my dear friend! Come with me across that "bridge to
the unknown", and step into the Light! Do it now before it is forever too late!
"It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all
the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and
emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods;
magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition;
all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love
or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided
pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival;
uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could
go on." (Gal 5:19-21 from the Message)
"Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so
that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy
Spirit, will brim over with hope!" (Rom 15:13 from the Message)
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me
and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with
me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I
won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll
learn to live freely and lightly." (Matt 11:28-30 from the Message)
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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